13 February 2016•Update: 14 February 2016
ANKARA
Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said the PKK terrorist group's Syrian affiliate, Democratic Union Party (PYD), has committed "war crimes".
In his address in eastern Turkey’s Erzincan province Saturday, Davutoglu said: "It [PYD] carries out ethnic cleansing and commits war crime. All the documents are obvious. International organizations have also certified these.”
About the recent dispute between Turkey and the U.S. over Washington’s objection to describing the Syrian group PYD as a terrorist organization, which instead classified it as "a reliable partner", Davutoglu said: "We expect from the U.S. to adopt a loud and clear position against the inhumane slaughter.”
The premier also reiterated that Turkey would not hesitate to take "necessary measures" in Syria, if any threat was directed against Turkey.
"If we get involved in such a struggle, we expect from friendly and ally countries to stand by us," he said.
About the Russian airstrikes in Syria, Davutoglu said: "The humanitarian logistics corridor between Turkey and Aleppo has been closed by these forces [Russia]".
A recent offensive backed by Russian air power has seen Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces score a series of victories against rebel groups while forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians from Aleppo -- Syria’s largest city -- towards the Turkish border, which triggered a new migration wave towards Turkey.
Davutoglu said if the corridor was not opened, hundreds of thousands Syrians will face starvation. "We will help our Aleppo brothers with any kind of opportunities," he added.
Currently, Turkey hosts 2.7 million Syrians and 170,000 Iraqi refugees.
So far, Turkey has spent $9 billion on the refugees, while UN’s Refugee Agency has only granted $455 million.
