TURKEY: Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says Ankara will stand by the Syrian people in their fight against President Bashar al-Assad's rule

Record ID: 281193

  • Title: TURKEY: Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu says Ankara will stand by the Syrian people in their fight against President Bashar al-Assad's rule
  • Date: 25th July 2012
  • Summary: KILIS, TURKEY (JULY 25, 2012) (REUTERS) VIEW OF TURKISH-SYRIAN BORDER CROSSING TURKISH AND SYRIAN OPPOSITION FLAGS WAVING AT BORDER CROSSING TURKISH WATCHTOWER AT BORDER SYRIAN MOSQUE SEEN FROM TURKISH SIDE SYRIAN BUILDING SEEN FROM TURKISH SIDE ANKARA, TURKEY (JULY 25, 2012) (REUTERS) TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTER, AHMET DAVUTOGLU, WALKING ON PODIUM PEOPLE LISTENING (SOUNDB
  • Embargoed: 9th August 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Turkey
  • Country: Turkey
  • Topics: Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAD8UJU7EDCQ0I347PMOGA9AQXL
  • Story Text: Turkey will continue to stand by the Syrian people, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Wednesday (July 25).
    "Everybody is judged by their choice. If he chooses to attack his own people by unleashing the army upon them and attacking them with artillery and tanks, resulting in the killing of 20,000 brothers of ours; instead of uniting with them, there was only one way left for us. We stand beside our Syrian oppressed brothers and we will keep standing," Davutoglu said.
    "As history shows, cruelty brings no happiness. The ones who behave cruelly towards their people will not last regardless of the powers that support them," he added.
    Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said this week the uprising against Assad was "closer than ever to victory" and warned Turkey will respond firmly to any hostility from Syria.
    As hostilities intensified near the Turkish border, Ankara said it was closing its crossing posts, although the United Nations said refugees fleeing Syria would be allowed through.
    The 16-month revolt against President Bashar al-Assad has been transformed from an insurgency in remote provinces into a battle for control of the two main cities, Aleppo and the capital, Damascus, where fighting exploded last week.
    Ankara, which previously had close ties with Damascus, subsequently increased its military presence, sending anti-aircraft missiles to the border and scrambling planes when Syrian aircraft came close to Turkish territory.
    Ankara called for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to quit after he failed to heed calls for reform. Turkey has harboured Syrian rebels and tens of thousands of refugees along its border with Syria.
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