KONYA
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday said that the incidents in Syria were no longer only a domestic issue.
Speaking to reporters in the central Anatolian province of Konya, Ahmet Davutoglu said that the incidents in Syria posed a security risk to neighboring countries.
"We expect the United Nations (UN) to deal with the Syrian issue," Davutoglu stressed.
Asked about measures Turkey may take if the number of Syrians staying in Turkey exceeds 100,000, Davutoglu said that Turkey was ready to assist the Syrians regardless of how many of them may be in Turkey.
"In certain crisis, the numbers of refugees may have a psychological impact and results. When the number of refugees is expressed in thousands, we could say that there is a tension or internal clash in that region. However, when the number of refugees exceeds one hundred thousands, the inflow of refugees turns into massive migration. Back in 1991, when the Saddam regime used chemical weapons, the number of Iraqi individuals of Kurdish origin who came into Turkey was over 500,000 and that issue was placed on the world's agenda. When migration turns into a humanitarian tragedy, the United Nations needs to work on the issue. We will surely help our Syrian brothers and sisters. However, as their numbers increase (in Turkey), their migration turns into a tragedy and a crime of humanity. If hundreds of thousands of people are migrating, such a development must be regarded as an international crisis rather than a regional crisis. We will bring up this matter at the UN Security Council soon. It is high time for all states to change their stance on Syria," Davutoglu underlined.
Asked about Turkey's possible stance if the UN did not take the expected steps, Ahmet Davutoglu said that "if the UN does not act as expected, it is bound to lose its meaning and mission".
"If hundreds of thousands of people are going through a tragedy, the UN's existence may get questioned," Davutoglu stressed.
"The UN had lost great credibility during the massacre in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Another massacre is taking place in front of the eyes of the UN. If the UN keeps silent, then we will have a right to question its mission," Davutoglu stated.
In regard to a question on a letter sent to him by the Russian Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu said that the Russian minister expressed their readiness to work together within the frame of the action group formed in Geneva.
"We look at all international initiatives positively. We had said 'yes' to a consensus reached in Geneva. However, following Kofi Annan's resignation (as the joint UN and Arab League's special envoy on Syria), the consensus on the establishment of a transitional government in Syria could not be implemented. We are ready to make contributions to all processes. We expect the UN to be an intervening party on the (Syrian) tragedy and to see our friend and neighbor Russia displaying sensitivity on the matter," Davutoglu also said.
