Turkey ‘uncomfortable’ with US-Russia tensions in Syria

By Diyar Guldogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey is "very uncomfortable" with some countries that have turned Syria into an "arm wrestling" arena, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.

"We are very uncomfortable that some countries, which rely on their military power, are turning Syria into an arm wrestling arena," Erdogan said at opening ceremony of 36-kilometer (22 miles) long Baskentray rail in the capital Ankara.

Erdogan's remarks came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Russia on Twitter to brace for U.S. military engagement in Syria following a suspected chemical attack in Douma, Eastern Ghouta on April 8 that killed dozens of people.

Trump also blamed Moscow for being partners with “a gas killing animal”, referring to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

Trump’s posts on Twitter followed a warning from Moscow that the risk of a direct military clash between Russia and the U.S. in Syria “is higher than before”, with a Russian envoy saying that U.S. missiles flying over the war-ravaged country would be shot down.

Erdogan recalled that he had a phone talk with the U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments in Syria.

"Today, I will talk to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. How we can stop this chemical massacre [in Syria], I will again talk to him about this," he added.