ANKARA
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said that "a safety zone or a buffer zone in north of Syria was among Turkey's alternatives".
Erdogan's comments came at Ankara's Esenboga International Airport after a question on whether or not Turkey thought of a buffer zone against a possible terrorist organization PKK threat along the Turkish-Syrian border.
"Our priorities depend on the process. We will evaluate the alternatives according to the process," Erdogan underlined.
Asked about the details of his talks with the Hamas Political Bureau Chief, Khaled Meshal, Prime Minister Erdogan said that they discussed the issues of Syria and Palestine as Meshal knows Syria very closely.
"The developments in Syria have made this matter a priority. We are conducting diplomacy on Syria not only with diplomats but also other important figures, including community leaders," Erdogan stated.
In response to a question, Erdogan said that the process in Syria could be defined as one before the current developments, the present incidents and post-Assad period.
"Assad and his close circle will soon be out of power in Syria. Syria is preparing itself for a new term. However, certain countries only cause a delay in the process," Erdogan stressed.
"Thousands of Syrians have been killed and around 200,000 Syrians have migrated into neighboring countries. The Assad regime is now losing control," Erdogan said.
"What will happen in Syria must be determined by the Syrian people themselves. We need to open the path for the Syrian people. We need to bring the ballot box and let the Syrians establish political parties. A transitional government can prepare the new Syrian constitution, and elections could take place for the president and parliament of Syria," Erdogan noted.
"Can there be an administration (in Syria) which bombs its own people with military jets? There is a problem in Syria and people are escaping from the county. Turkey should not be expected to remain silent as a country sharing a border of 900 kilometers with Syria. Whatever the Syrian people say will happen after Assad," Erdogan underlined.
Asked about the violence against Muslims in Myanmar, Erdogan said that the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) was making efforts to help the Muslims.
"We are in touch with the foreign ministers of Myanmar and Bangladesh as well as the UN. We are making efforts so the tyranny against the Muslims end and channels of aid get opened," Erdogan also said.
