Turkey warned Iran [1] "in a frank and friendly manner" against blaming Ankara for violence in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday, a day after holding talks with his Iranian counterpart.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi flew to neighboring Turkey on Tuesday seeking to mend a relationship sorely strained by the Syrian uprising and to secure Turkish help for 48 Iranians kidnapped in Syria [2] on Saturday.

Turkey was incensed by comments this week by Iran's top general Hassan Firouzabadi, in which he blamed Turkey for the bloodshed in Syria and accused Ankara, alongside Saudi Arabia [3] and Qatar, of helping the "war-raging goals of America."

The once close ties between the Middle East's two non-Arab powers have been ravaged by events in Syria. Turkey has demanded President Bashar al-Assad quit, but Iran supports his suppr... >>>