Turkish ruling party slams Greek approach towards migrants

By Ali Murat Alhas

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s ruling party on Monday criticized Greece for hurling tear gas shells on irregular migrants and for killing one of them.

“It is an inhumane approach that Greece fires teargas shells [at migrants] and killed of them,” Omer Celik, the spokesman for the Justice and Development (AK) Party, said at a news conference in the capital Ankara.

Celik said the suffering of four million Syrians in Idlib, northwestern Syria, was a result of the failure to set up a safe-zone in the region, and allies’ “inability to fulfill their obligations.”

In the past few days, over 120,000 migrants crossed to Europe after Turkish officials announced they would no longer try to stop irregular migrants from reaching the continent.

Turkey currently hosts about 3.7 million Syrians under temporary protection status and accuses Europe of not sharing the country's burden in this aspect.

When asked about Turkey’s political stance in Syria, where Ankara administration has intensified its military campaign in a bid to stop imminent migration crisis and use its right of self-defense, Celik said: “Is Syria individual estate of [Bashar al-] Assad, or it belongs to Syrians?... We believe Syria belongs to Syrians.”

Turkey on Sunday launched Operation Spring Shield after at least 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred and dozens injured in an Assad regime airstrike in Idlib, a de-escalation zone in northwestern Syria, just across Turkey’s southern border, on Feb. 27.

Turkey’s only target during the operation is Assad regime soldiers and elements in Idlib under the nation's right to self-defense, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said earlier in the day.

The martyred Turkish soldiers were working to protect local civilians under a September 2018 deal with Russia, which prohibits acts of aggression in Idlib.

But more than 1,300 civilians have since been killed in attacks by Assad and Russian forces in the zone, as the cease-fire continues to be violated, sending about a million refugees towards Turkey's border with Syria.