Türkİye

Turkish Press Review

Wednesday’s dailies mainly cover UN call for Turkey to open border to Syrians fleeing Aleppo

10.02.2016 - Update : 10.02.2016
Turkish Press Review

Istanbul

ISTANBUL

Anadolu Agency does not verify these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

Dailies on Wednesday mainly covered the UN’s call for Turkey to open its border to Syrians fleeing the war, the photo of a Syrian refugee clinging to life on to the tip of a sinking boat in the Aegean Sea and Ankara summoning the US ambassador over Washington’s PYD remarks.

HABERTURK ran with the sarcastic headline “Your wish is our command”, in response to the UN’s call.

“We are asking Turkey to open its border to all civilians from Syria who are fleeing danger, seeking international protection as they have done since the start of this crisis,” William Spindler, spokesman for the UN’s refugee agency said in a news conference in Geneva on Tuesday.

More than 30,000 people are trying to escape fighting in Aleppo as Syrian government forces, backed by Russian airstrikes, push into opposition-controlled areas.

However, Ankara’s plan to “host the [...] refugees outside of Turkey” -- as worded by Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus -- did not suit the international community, the daily added.

Kurtulmus said Monday there was a possibility that 600,000 refugees would soon arrive at the Turkish border.

STAR, criticizing the UN’s call, also used a sarcastic headline “Now that UN asks, let’s open doors”.

The daily stated that the UN, which has not done anything so far to prevent civilian killings in Syria, asked Turkey to open the borders.

“Let us complete the incomplete call: Let’s open the borders going to Europe as well," the newspaper continued.

Turkey is currently hosting 2.5 million Syrian refugees, the world’s largest refugee population.

CUMHURIYET wrote on its front page "Escape from Aleppo has accelerated: 'Open the border' call from UN".

Several dailies ran the photo of a Syrian refugee standing on the tip of a sinking boat off western Turkey.

VATAN was one of the papers showing 20-year-old Hussein standing on to the tip of a sinking boat disappearing into the waters of the Aegean Sea.

“If the rescue team was late, he would have died in the cold waters of the Aegean Sea,” the newspaper said.

At least 27 people drowned when the fiberglass boat carrying migrants sank off the Gulf of Edremit district on Monday.

BUGUN’s headline read “He clung to life on the tip of a boat”.

In other news, HURRIYET ran the headline “PYD crisis with the US”, referring to Turkey summoning the U.S. envoy in Ankara over Washington’s remarks.

U.S. Ambassador John Bass was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Tuesday over a "support" remark by the State Department concerning the terrorist organization PKK's Syrian affiliate, the Democratic Union Party (PYD).

According to Turkish diplomatic sources, Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Umit Yalcin expressed Ankara's uneasiness regarding Monday's press briefing in which spokesman John Kirby said: "We don't, as you know, recognize the PYD as a terrorist organization."

Turkey, a NATO ally of the U.S., designates the group a terrorist entity as it does the PKK.

On the same subject, “The US needs to take a side, us [Turkey] or PYD?” was the VATAN’s front-page headline, referring to remarks by Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Speaking to press members in Budapest on Tuesday, Cavusoglu said, "The U.S. needs to make a decision: Does it choose us [Turkey] as a partner or terrorist organizations?"

Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.
Related topics
Bu haberi paylaşın