Turkey has summoned Iran’s ambassador over the spread of reports by Iranian media drawing a connection between the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, and the execution of a top Iranian Shia Cleric by Saudi Arabia, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Erdogan visited Saudi Arabia on December 29-31, holding talks on the Syrian crisis with Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the King of Saudi Arabia.
"We strongly condemn the linking of our president's recent visit to Saudi Arabia to the executions sentenced in the country in stories published on media outlets linked to Iranian official bodies," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement, as quoted by The Daily Sabah on Thursday.


Last weekend, protesters stormed the Saudi Arabian embassy in Iran after Riyadh executed top Iranian Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr Baqir al-Nimr on January 2, along with dozens of other people convicted of "terrorism." Nimr al-Nimr had demanded more rights for Shias, who are a minority in Saudi Arabia, where most citizens are Sunni Muslims.

Shortly after the unrest, Saudi Arabia quickly severed diplomatic ties with Iran. Bahrain followed in its footsteps, together with Sudan. The United Arab Emirates also scaled down its diplomatic representation in Iran.

By Sputnik