PARIS
France and Turkey agreed Friday that there was no difference between the “barbarity” of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad-led regime and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or the ISIL.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius met with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu in Paris earlier on Friday.
The ministers told reporters they discussed “key regional issues, including the situation in Iraq and Syria."
Cavusoglu said Turkey remained committed to fighting “terrorism” in Syria.
The minister said the ISIL was a serious threat to the entire region and reiterated Turkey’s commitment to do its part to fight “terrorism.”
He also emphasized the need for a buffer zone between Turkey and Syria.
Fabius expressed France's support to the plan.
The French foreign minister said that the Assad regime “was the one behind the development of the ISIL and the tragic situation in Kobani."
"We will not make a choice between the barbarity of al-Assad and the ISIL," Fabius said.
The two foreign ministers also signed a two-year cooperation roadmap, which covered political, economic, security and cultural fields.
They met a delegation of French businessmen and discussed ways " to strengthen economic cooperation and investment opportunities in Turkey and France."
Fabius also said that Cavusoglu's visit was part of a new framework of French-Turkish strategic cooperation that was adopted last January during the state visit of the Turkish president to France.
ISIL had launched an offensive last September on the Syrian town of Kobani, also known as Ayn al-Arab near the Turkish border. It is said to have entered three of its districts on Thursday.
More than 170,000 people have crossed into Turkey from Kobani since the relentless advance of the militant group, which controls large swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq.
Turkey has been pushing for the establishment of a no-fly zone and safe havens in Syria near the Turkish border.
The Turkish parliament voted last week to approve a conditional Turkish military action in Syria and Iraq.
A US-led airstrike campaign was launched against ISIL targets in Iraq on August 9, with the support of France, the U.K. and Belgium, along with Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E.
www.aa.com.tr/en
