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