Tehran Welcomes Turkey's Plan to Build a Wall on Its Borders with Iran

An informed source in Iran's Foreign Ministry confirmed on Tuesday, May 8, Turkey's decision to build a wall along part of its border with Iran, emphasizing that such an action should be communicated to Tehran. According to Iranian news agencies, this unnamed official stated that Iran is aware of Turkey's plan to construct a wall at the Iran-Turkey border and welcomes it. ISNA news agency quoted this official as saying that the Islamic Republic of Iran has general knowledge of the wall construction issue along the common border and it appears that Turkish officials intend to implement new measures to enhance security at their borders, one of which is the mentioned wall. He continued, "Typically, and based on international law, Turkey must inform Iran of any actions it wishes to take along the common borders of the two countries." Some Turkish newspapers, including Hurriyet, reported on Monday that Turkey is seeking to build a wall on its border with Iran to prevent the entry of terrorists and PKK forces into its territory. Turkey has witnessed numerous terrorist explosions in the past two years, even before the failed coup, and in most cases, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Islamic extremists have been identified as the perpetrators of these attacks. In December 2016, a series of explosions in Istanbul resulted in over 38 deaths and 155 injuries, most of whom were Turkish police forces. If Turkey's motivation for building a wall along its border with Iran is security-related, it seems that Iran's motivation for agreeing to it is purely economic. According to IRNA, the informed source from Iran's Foreign Ministry, who remains unnamed, stated: "Two billion dollars worth of smuggled textiles enter Iran from the Turkish borders, and if a wall is built, this amount of smuggling will be prevented. We even encourage this to happen sooner so that smuggled goods do not enter Iran." Iran and Turkey, aside from their border issues, currently share common concerns regarding Syria and have begun cooperating in the region to counter various groups engaged in military actions. Among these joint efforts is the recent action of Iran, Russia, and Turkey to establish safe zones in Syria, under which they plan to deploy military units to ensure security and maintain a ceasefire in four designated areas. The PKK is a leftist armed group in Turkey's Kurdistan that has been active since 1984, initially seeking autonomy for Kurdistan and cultural and political rights for Kurds in Turkey. This group is currently pursuing cultural and linguistic rights for Kurds and aims to establish a form of self-governance within Turkey's borders, but following regional events and the new policies of Turkey's government led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the PKK has once again intensified its armed operations.