ANKARA - A spokesman from Turkish Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Turkish intelligence and customs units "were exerting firm efforts to bring into the daylight" the mysterious disappearance of a former Iranian deputy defense minister.
"Turkey is cooperating with Iran on this issue," Levent Bilman, told a weekly press briefing.
Ali Reza Asghari, 46, a former deputy defense minister of Iran, went missing after he arrived in Istanbul and checked into a hotel on December 7th.
"Iran informed Interpol about the missing official on December 26th, 2006 whereas Iranian officials informed us about the incident on February 4th, 2007, that is, almost 2 months later," Bilman said.
Asghari was abducted by Israeli and American agents, Turkish daily Hurriyet cited his wife, Sima Ahmadi, as saying, who appealed to the Turkish Embassy in Tehran and requested an investigation.
There were also news reports that Asghari was transported to Germany for interrogation.
"There has been no contact with Germany on this matter or with any other third country," Bilman said.