In a phone conversation July 18, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani congratulated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the people of Turkey for pushing back against a coup attempt by members of the military.

“Fortunately in this coup d’etat, the people of Turkey showed themselves to have a high political maturity and proved that methods of force have no place in the region,” Rouhani said, according to the president’s website. “We are happy that under the shadow of your good management and the resistance of the honorable Turkish people, we are witnessing the return of stability in a friendly country.”

Rouhani continued, “Stability and calm in Turkey will cause the reinforcement of stability and calm in the region.” He added, “We have no doubt that some great powers as well as terrorists do not want an Islamic country to have stability.” He also stressed that the countries in the region should work together to eradicate terrorism. Rouhani said, “This event was a test to identify your domestic and foreign friends and enemies.”

Erdogan thanked Rouhani for the show of support, saying, “It’s possible tanks and guns may martyr a number of people, but they cannot bring down the ideals of a nation.” He also said that while the country has returned to normal, “We cannot think that everything is over.”