ANKARA
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated that Assad forces used chemical weapons in Syria and he would discuss the use of such weapons with US President Barack Obama during his upcoming US visit.
Erdogan gave an interview to Japanese newspaper Nikkei.
"We will discuss the use of chemical weapons during my visit on May 16 with President Obama. It is obvious that the Assad regime is using it. The opposition dominates on land however Assad uses chemical weapons, war planes and helicopters. The only field the regime is superior is air backed operations. The regime is living its final moments but we don't know when it will topple. This is a situation to take place suddenly," Erdogan said.
-Turkey-Japan cooperation-
Erdogan stated that Turkey and Japan had reached the point of signing an agreement in regards to the nuclear power plant and said, "We will build the nuclear power plant in Turkey's northern province Sinop in cooperation with Japan. Japan is experienced against earthquakes and possesses know how knowledge. It is also well developed in terms of environmental issues. Turkey aims to obtain minimum 15 percent of its total electric production from nuclear energy by 2030."
Emphasizing that there were various fields in which Japan and Turkey could cooperate including suspension bridges and tube tunnels, Erdogan said, "The construction of the third bridge at Istanbul Strait began and we will go out to tender for the new airport in Istanbul. We will build one of the biggest airports in the world with a capacity of 100 million passengers at first stage. Preparations are ongoing for the canal project in western Istanbul. We would like Japanese firms to join the canal and airport projects together with Turkish firms."
