Erdoğan Heading to Moscow to 'Quickly Ensure Ceasefire'

Source and photo: AA

Click to read the article in Turkish

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will discuss recent developments in Syria's Idlib with President Vladimir Putin of Russia in Moscow tomorrow (March 5).

The two presidents decided to meet after the recent military escalation in Syria.

Turkey launched the Operation Spring Shield on Sunday (March 1) after 36 of its soldiers lost their lives in an airstrike by Syria's army in Idlib on February 27.

When asked by reporters in the capital Ankara about what he expects from the meeting, Erdoğan replied, "To quickly ensure a ceasefire in the region."

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Migration flow to Europe

Erdoğan also made remarks on the latest refugee flow that began after Turkey announced after the Idlib airstrike that it loosened border controls. 

"We call on, notably, Greece and all EU countries to respectfully treat the refugees, which came to their territories, in line with Universal Declaration of Human Rights," he told his party's parliamentary group meeting.

Erdoğan also criticized Greece by showing a photo displaying the help extended to the Greek people who fled Nazi attacks and took refuge in Syria during World War II.

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"One of the Greek boys or girls in this photo is maybe the grandfather or grandmother of [Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos] Mitsotakis," Erdogan said.

"A Greek, who tries every way possible not to accept refugees in its country [...] do not forget that one day he could be [in a situation in which he] seeks compassion," he added. (DB/VK)