Turkey's Syria policy based on 'humanitarian diplomacy'

By Mustafa Kurt

ANTALYA, Turkey

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saturday everybody believes Turkey can stop attacks on Syria's northwestern Idlib because Turkey's Syria policy is based on humanitarian diplomacy.

Speaking at an event in southern Antalya province, Cavusoglu said: "Everybody's common rhetoric, whether they like us or not, is that 'if this [Idlib attack] can be prevented, then it is Turkey that can do [prevent] it."

Cavusoglu said this is not because Turkey is a neighbor of Syria or the country maintains relations with Russia and Iran; it is because Turkey's Syria policy is based on humanitarian diplomacy and it does not have a secret agenda.

"Everyone who loves [Turkey] or not, is partial or impartial, they are looking at and trusting Turkey [on the Idlib issue]," he added.

Highlighting that the situation also needs international effort, Cavusoglu said they will continue their effort to prevent the death of thousands of people and new waves of migration.

Seven civilians were killed and seven others injured in airstrikes carried out by Syrian regime forces and Russian warplanes in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province earlier in the day, according to the White Helmets.

At least 28 civilians have been killed and dozens injured in airstrikes and attacks by regime forces and Russian warplanes in Idlib and Hama since the beginning of this month, the group said.

The Syrian regime has recently announced plans to launch a major military offensive in the area, which has long been controlled by various armed opposition groups.

The UN warned earlier this week that such an offensive would lead to the "worst humanitarian catastrophe in the 21st century".

A trilateral summit of the presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran on Friday underlined that “there could be no military solution to the Syrian conflict" and called for advancing the political process to reach a negotiated solution.