Tehran welcomes Turkey’s planned 'security wall’

A spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry has welcomed Turkey’s plan to build a “security wall” along the border of the two countries, reports Anadolu. “We welcome any initiative aimed at making the border safer,” Bahram Ghasemi told a press conference in Tehran.

Ghasemi added that the Turkish authorities had already informed him about the issue, going on to stress that the planned wall would be erected on the Turkish side of the border. “Border security is an important issue for both us and the Turks,” he insisted.

Last week, Turkish Defence Minister Fikri Isik said that construction of the wall was not aimed at Iran but was intended to improve regional security.

Read: Turkey accuses Iran of causing regional instability

Tenders for construction of the 144 kilometre wall have been completed, and the project’s first phase should be started in October.