Turkey open to dialogue with Russia, reiterates PM

ISTANBUL

Turkey is open to dialogue with Russia to resolve the recent political crisis, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday.

The Turkish prime minister also criticized Moscow's unilateral economic sanctions as well as what he described as President Vladimir Putin's recent attitude against Turkey.

“We are ready to talk to Russia and to exchange every type of opinion,” Davutoglu said, speaking at a meeting organized by Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board, or DEIK, in Istanbul.

“But we will never allow it [Russia] to dictate anything to us,” he added.

Tensions remain high following Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian military jet last month. After the incident, Russia imposed a range of unilateral sanctions against Turkey, including a ban on food imports.

“We should not allow our relations to be destroyed over economic sanctions while we have been exerting efforts to resolve this political crisis with Russia,” Davutoglu stated. The Turkish government does not find these sanctions becoming of a major country, he added.

President Vladimir Putin, during a press conference on Thursday in Moscow, said that he did not see any prospect of ties improving with Turkey.

Putin also accused the Turkish government of “Islamizing Turkey” and cooperating with Daesh over oil trade in Syria.

Davutoglu condemned Putin's recent attitude against Turkey, stating that "it did not suit a statesman".

"Didn't Mr. Putin know that we are a Muslim country, a month ago? When he met with our president at the G20 summit in Antalya a month ago, didn't he know about Turkey's foreign policy? If Turkey was cooperating with Daesh [as he claimed], why wouldn't he mention it at that time?"

Amid the crisis with Russia, the prime minister also stated that he planned to visit Ukraine and to invite President Petro Poroshenko to Turkey.

Stating that Crimean Tatars would be one of the top issues discussed during his visit, Davutoglu said: “We did not recognize Russia’s occupation of [Ukrainian region] Crimea and we will not."

Crimea was annexed by Russia in a March 2014 referendum condemned by the international community and the Ukrainian government.

Russia has been persecuting Turks living in Crimea since the downing of a Russian warplane, Ukrainian lawmaker and Crimean Tatar leader Mustafa Dzhemilev said on Tuesday.

Concerning the deployment of Turkish troops in northern Iraq, Davutoglu said: “Our support [to peshmerga and volunteers] will continue until Mosul is rescued [from Daesh].”

On Dec. 4, Turkey reinforced the force protection component of its units in the camp due to increasing threats to their security.

Davutoglu also insisted on the importance of a legitimate government in Syria.

“A solution to the crisis in Syria is possible when [President Bashar al-] Assad hands over his governance to a legitimate administration," he said. "It is not possible that an initiative stipulating the continuation of an administration, which has completely lost its legitimacy, bring peace and stability to Syria.”

His remarks came after the UN Security Council adopted Friday a resolution endorsing a peace plan to foster an end to the Syria civil war.

The unanimously adopted resolution asks UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to bring together the Syrian government and the opposition "to engage in formal negotiations on a political transition process on an urgent basis, with a target of early January 2016 for the initiation of talks".

The talks are supposed to be followed by UN-monitored elections in 18 months.

Davutoglu also announced that Turkish Airlines, the national flag carrier, will start flights from Athens to the western province of Izmir soon.

“First guest [of the airline] will be Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras,” he noted.” It will be a reflection of turning the Aegean into a sea of peace, symbolically."