Turkey tells US, Russia to stop 'fighting like bullies'

By Sena Guler and Gokhan Ergocun

ANKARA

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has urged the U.S. and Russia to stop “fighting like street bullies”.

Speaking at the Gebze Technical University in northwestern Kocaeli province Wednesday, Yildirim said: “‘I have better missiles’ one says. The other says ‘my missiles are better’. They are fighting like street bullies.”

The Turkish premier’s remarks came after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Russia to brace for American military engagement in Syria after a suspected chemical attack killed dozens of people.

He also blamed Russia for being partners with “a Gas Killing Animal”, referring to Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

Trump’s tweets followed a warning from Moscow that a risk of a direct Russia-U.S. military clash in Syria “is higher than before”, with a Russian envoy saying that U.S. missiles flying over the war-ravaged country would be shot down.

Yildirim said this is a time to unite, not to become rivals.

"The ‘who is stronger’ fight should be left aside,” he said, adding that countries should join hands to ensure the territorial integrity of Syria and Iraq by eliminating terror groups on these lands.

He also urged the permanent representatives of the UN Security Council to act more responsible.

"The powerful countries, especially permanent representatives of the UN have more responsibilities than usual."

He said the world and the region could not just sit back and watch millions of people die.

Yildirim went on to say that Turkey, which has seen economic growth for the last 16 years, would continue to grow in the coming years.

Sustainable growth

"As long as there is stability and confidence, our private sector will continue to grow with the incentives given by the state.

"Our goal for growth is sustainability."

Turkey has been updating its policies and fixing problems, he said.

"The country increased supports for several areas such as research and development (R&D) activities, marketing strategies, and technological infrastructure."

He said the number of research and development (R&D) centers and design centers in Turkey has now reached 857 and 195, respectively.

Turkey promotes R&D projects in the private sector and universities through various technological support programs, he said.

He said Turkey hosts around 130,000 foreign students from 100 countries and thousands of Turkish students go abroad for education every year.

The number of universities rose from 72 to 186 and the number of lecturers increased from 100,000 to 160,000 in Turkey during the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party’s government, he added.

In remarks made at the 21st Euroasian Economic Summit, the premier said Turkey expects around 38 million tourists in the current year.

Mentioning currency fluctuations in Turkey, he said: "When needed The Central Bank will take required precautions."

Currency fluctuations' effects will be temporary and limited, he added.