Turkey calls for caution from Saudi Arabia and Iran amid rising tension

Ankara has called for calm and voiced opposition to recent executions, as tension between Iran and its Sunni Arab neighbors reached new heights, with Saudi Arabia and its allies cutting or downgrading diplomatic ties with Tehran following Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric. 

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister and government spokesman Numan Kurtulmu? said the region "could not sustain such tension." 

"Saudi Arabia and Iran are two major countries of the Muslim world, and we have ties with both of them," Kurtulmu? told reporters after a cabinet meeting on Jan. 4.

Kurtulmu? emphasized that Turkey, which abolished the death penalty in 2004 as part of its bid to join the EU, was opposed to capital punishment.

"Both countries should leave these tensions behind as soon as possible ? The execution of political death sentences will not help regional peace. We are against all kinds of political death sentences," he said. 

"Enough is enough. We need peace in the region," he stated.

"We need peace in the region. As a country that is friends with both countries, we say they should act with moderation. Enmity between Saudi Arabia and Iran will harm both countries and will harm the region. The people of Iran and Saudi Arabia are our brothers, our friends," he added.

Kurtulmu?'s remarks were Turkey's first official statement on the subject, as the fallout continued from Saudi Arabia's execution on Jan. 2 of Shiite cleric and activist Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, erupting into a full-blown diplomatic crisis as Riyadh and then Bahrain and Sudan severed relations with Tehran, the main Shiite power.

Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran late on Jan. 3, giving diplomats 48 hours to leave the country, after protesters set...