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Erdogan questions Russian motives in Syria, says will ask Putin to reconsider air strikes


President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow on Sept. 23. (Photo: Cihan)

October 03, 2015, Saturday/ 13:32:23/ TODAYSZAMAN.COM / ISTANBUL




Turkey, US and other allies call on Russia to stop air strikes in Syria
Turkey, US and other allies call on Russia to stop air strikes in Syria

Erdogan: Turkey will not allow ’fait accompli situations’ next to its borders
Erdogan: Turkey will not allow ’fait accompli situations’ next to its borders



Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticized Russia's air strikes in Syria saying they target moderate rebels fighting against President Bashar al-Assad and vowed to express his concerns to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

“Russia does not have borders with Russia. I, on the other hand, have a 911-kilometer border with Syria and I am bothered by what is happening [inside Syria]. Turkey is currently taking care of 2 million people from Syria. They did not go to Russia; we are taking care of them, not Russia," Erdogan said in remarks broadcast on al-Jazeera television late on Friday. “Why is Russia taking such an interest in Syria? This is what I want to understand.”

Erdogan and Putin have maintained warm ties throughout the Syrian civil war despite their deep differences on how to resolve the Syrian crisis.

The Turkish president's criticism of Russia follows the start of Russian air strikes in Syria last week. Moscow says it hits the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets but Turkey and the Western countries including the US are concerned that the Russian strikes target rebels fighting against Assad to prop up the Syrian regime.

“We have heard that 65 people were killed in air strikes they [Russians] carried out yesterday [Thursday]. Where? In Hama, Homs and around Aleppo. This is very striking. Because Russia says in a statement to our embassy that it will carry out operations against Daesh [ISIL]. But it targeted the opposition that fights against the regime, not Daesh, and the civilians were killed in the process. And they ignore the deaths of civilians,” Erdogan told al-Jazeera.

He said he would discuss his concerns with Putin, asking him to reconsider policy. “Since we are two friendly countries, I will ask him to revise their steps,” he said.

In a joint statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry, the US, Turkey, Britain, France, Germany, Qatar and Saudi Arabia called on Russia on Friday to stop its air strikes aiming to help Assad's regime against Syrian opposition and urged Moscow to focus on fighting ISIL.

“We express our deep concern with regard to the Russian military buildup in Syria and especially the attacks by the Russian Air Force on Hama, Homs, Idlib since yesterday [Thursday] which led to civilian casualties and did not target Daesh,” said the statement, adding that the Russian strikes “constitute a further escalation and will only fuel more extremism and radicalization.”

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also criticized the Russian strikes, saying in a televised interview late on Friday that there were no ISIL targets in Hama or Homs where first Russian air strikes took place.


http://www.todayszaman.com/diplomacy_erdogan-questions-russian-motives-in-syria-says-will-ask-putin-to-reconsider-air-strikes_400525.html