Iran's defense chief urges Syria, Turkey to defuse tension through dialogue

TEHRAN, June 28 (MNA) – Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi called on Damascus and Ankara to resolve the tension caused by Syria’s downing of a Turkish military aircraft through dialogue. The involvement of NATO or any other foreign country in the issue would not be “beneficial” and would undermine good relations between the two countries, Vahidi told reporters in Tehran on Wednesday. He added that tensions along the two countries’ borders should not be regarded as “insignificant” because they can turn into a greater problem that would spark a crisis in the region. Syria has said that the Turkish aircraft was flying low and well inside Syrian territorial waters when it was shot down on June 22.