ANKARA
The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday dismissed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s call to close the Turkish-Syrian border.
"Lavrov's remarks that arms were being sent to Syria through our border in aid convoys are an intentional claim and we are thinking that they cannot be taken seriously," ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said during a press conference.
Bilgic said Russia had a "world-renowned" reputation for violating human rights.
"Lavrov's remarks are a product of a futile effort made to cover up [Russia’s] war crimes in Syria," Bilgic added.
The State Department was asked about Russian accusations that Turkey was "smuggling" arms to the Syrian opposition.
While denying knowledge of the reports, spokesman Mark Toner said Turkey was in control of its own border and that such a flow could not happen "with the consent of the Turkish government".
We don't believe that it is smuggling arms," he said.
"We don't believe those allegations to be true, and I don't have any further details."
He added that border security anywhere in the world was tough to control as it was in U.S. or Turkey and that illegal crossings of foreign fighters and other materials could happen.
Earlier Tuesday, Lavrov called for the closing of the Syrian-Turkish border, through which UN humanitarian aid is delivered to Syria and vulnerable civilians flee the violence.
A cessation of hostilities deal reached by Washington and Moscow went into effect Saturday and was the latest in a series of diplomatic efforts ostensibly aimed at ending the conflict, which will soon enter its sixth year. Although reports have since indicated various breaches.
Daesh and al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate, al-Nusra Front, along with other unspecified groups designated terrorist organizations by the UN Security Council, were not included in the agreement.
Asked if Turkish shelling had been directed at the PYD/YPG -- the Syrian affiliate of the PKK terrorist organization -- after the cessation, Bilgic said Turkey had not fired any artillery rounds except against Daesh targets.
"In the afternoon of Feb. 28, 41 artillery rounds were fired at six targets, which was already covered in media," Bilgic said.
Bilgic also dismissed another allegation by the Russian Foreign Ministry that Turkey's shelling in the Syrian town of Kinsaba had injured four foreign journalists.
"Turkey does not target the area where the incident was claimed to have taken place," he added.
*Anadolu Agency correspondent Fatih Erel contributed to this story from Geneva.
