‘Turkey to defend Syrian territorial integrity’

By Gozde Bayar and Seda Sevencan

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey will continue to defend Syria's territorial integrity and protect the civilians in the war-torn country, the Turkish foreign minister said in the Qatari capital Doha on Thursday.

“Turkey will continue to defend Syria’s territorial integrity, protect civilians, and fight terror groups,” Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a trilateral meeting of Turkish, Qatari, and Russian foreign ministers.

Cavusoglu said the ministers discussed how to contribute to long-lasting peace in Syria.

Underlining that the legitimate demands of the civilians were ignored, he said Syrians have been exposed to negative impacts of the conflict for over a decade.

Cavusoglu also thanked his Qatari counterpart and the country for the initiative.

Syria has been embroiled in a civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Over the past 10 years, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN officials.