MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-TURKEY-SAUDI Turkey says Russia making "grave mistake" in Syria

Record ID: 135971

  • Title: MIDEAST-CRISIS/SYRIA-TURKEY-SAUDI Turkey says Russia making "grave mistake" in Syria
  • Date: 15th October 2015
  • Summary: ANKARA, TURKEY (OCTOBER 15, 2015) (REUTERS) TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER FERIDUN SINIRLIOGLU AND SAUDI ARABIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ADEL AL-JUBEIR ARRIVING AT PODIUM OFFICIALS LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER, FERIDUN SINIRLIOGLU, SAYING: "Russia is making a grave mistake. What they are doing will not do any good, it will only prolong the chaos that Syria i
  • Embargoed: 30th October 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA4XMDUL3Q1JFMZY7YKIP343UWU
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Turkey said Moscow was making a serious mistake in Syria as Russia continued to carry out air strikes in the war-torn country.
    "Russia is making a grave mistake. What they are doing will not do any good, it will only prolong the chaos that Syria is currently facing. We will continue to warn Russia on this matter," said Turkish foreign minister, Feridun Sinirlioglu.
    Sinirlioglu made the comments after a meeting with his Saudi Arabian counterpart in Ankara on Thursday (October 15).
    Moscow's intervention has infuriated Saudi Arabia and other foes of Assad who say the Russian air strikes have been hitting rebel groups opposed to the Syrian leader and not just the Islamic State fighters Moscow says it is targeting.
    Gulf Arab states suspect the Kremlin's main motive is saving President Bashar al-Assad and that counter-terrorism serves as a convenient excuse.
    Saudi Arabia, along with Turkey and Qatar, is a leading supporter of the rebels fighting Assad, who is backed by Iran as well as by Russia. But Riyadh is also worried about the rise of jihadist groups such as Islamic State among the opposition.
    "We have tried, in talks with the Russians, to warn them about the danger in Syria and have urged them to work with us to find a solution to the Syrian crisis, as I mentioned, along the principles of Geneva I, to enable us to restore security and stability to Syria, which will make it easier for us to confront terrorism," said Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir.
    The bloodshed in Syria, part of a broader struggle for regional supremacy between Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran, has enflamed sectarian divisions across the Middle East and drawn religiously motivated foreign fighters to both sides.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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