Turkey urges actors to stop worsening crisis in Syria

By Ali Murat Alhas and Gozde Bayar

ANKARA (AA) – Turkey’s National Security Council on Tuesday called on actors in Syria to halt actions that could worsen the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the war-weary country.

In a three-hour meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the presidential complex in the capital Ankara, senior Turkish officials discussed foreign policy, terrorism, and regional developments, said a council statement.

The council also accused the Greek government of stepping up its anti-Turkey policies despite Ankara’s calls for dialogue, saying Athens should instead abide by international law.

On the crisis in the Eastern Mediterranean, it said countries from outside the region should take a neutral position and a common approach protecting mutual rights and benefits.

Turkey, which has the longest continental coastline in the Eastern Mediterranean, has rejected the maritime boundary claims by Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, stressing that those excessive claims violate the sovereign rights of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots.

Ankara last year sent several drill ships to explore for energy in the Eastern Mediterranean, asserting its rights in the region, as well as those of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).

Turkish leaders have repeatedly stressed that Ankara is in favor of resolving outstanding problems in the region through international law, good neighborly relations, dialogue, and negotiations.