Erdogan : Turkey Does Not Want War With Syria

Ankara, Oct 6, IRNA – Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Turkey does not want to engage in a war with Syria, but only wants peace and security in the Middle East region. Erdogan made the above remarks in a joint press conference with the visiting Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi in Ankara on Thursday night. On October 3, a mortar shell was fired and hit the Turkish town of Akcakale in southern Turkey. “The incident of Akcakale town is not ordinary, this attack did not take place for the first time by Syria against Turkey. They (Syrian forces) have already launched seven attacks on Turkey so far. We request our Turkish friends to show more sensitivity in this regard,” Erdogan said. On October 4, Turkish artillery hit targets near Syria's Tel Abyad border town for a second day killing several Syrian soldiers according to activists and security sources. Damascus said it was investigating a mortar attack on the Turkish town of Akcakale in southern Turkey. Emphasizing that the Turkey is not warmonger and Ankara has closely seen the consequences of war in its neighboring countries of Iraq and Afghanistan, Erdogan said that “Turkey is calling for immediate halt to bloodsheds and brother killings in Syria. We do not want to be observer of massacre of our Syrian brothers.” Pointing to the fact that Turkish government is fully capable of safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity, he noted that he and other Turkish officials have held separate talks with their Iranian counterparts on the issue of Syria and foreign ministers of both countries have been commissioned to achieve a feasible solution for Syrian crisis in the shortest possible time. Referring to his talks with Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi on bilateral ties, Erdogan pointed out that it was an opportunity to have comprehensive talks with Rahimi and there were also broad-based talks at ministerial level between two countries. Rahimi’s visit takes place upon an official invitation extended by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The ministers of oil, transportation, justice, industries, mines and commerce are accompanying Rahimi during his visit to Turkey. Rahimi is to confer on Friday with Turkish President Abdullah Gul on issues of mutual interests as well as regional and international developments. It is expected that economic cooperation would feature prominently in mutual talks./end