Posted on 09/29/2015 9:04:22 AM PDT by Citizen Zed
NEW YORK—Ankara is ready to work with the international community to combat the Islamic State (ISIS), Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told Rudaw on Sunday, insisting that the government of President Bashar al-Assad is the real cause of Syria’s turmoil.
“We are ready to work with any country to combat ISIS because ISIS is a threat to all of us,” said Davutoglu in New York. “But we should not forget that three years ago there was no ISIS. Who created ISIS? Assad’s crimes and tyranny created ISIS.”
He said that by bombing moderate Syrian opposition forces, the Assad regime had helped the rise of ISIS, particularly in the Raqqa region.
“Assad bombed the Raqqa region in order to drive out the moderate Syrian opposition and let ISIS come into those areas,” he said.
The Turkish Prime Minister believes that ISIS is used by the Assad regime to legitimize its war against the Syrian people and the opposition forces.
“ISIS’s existence has helped Assad to tell the international community ‘Helping me is important to fight ISIS’,” he maintained. “In fact, these are two evils helping each other. If any country helps one of them against the other, that country is helping both of them.”
Davutoglu said the world should seek a peaceful resolution to the crisis in Syria where neither ISIS nor Assad will have a place.
“Now, all countries, including Russia, should work together for a peaceful solution,” said Davutoglu. “In the new Syria there should be no place for either Assad or ISIS."
On the Kurdish question, Davutoglu said that Turkey is not against Syria’s Kurds and that Ankara supports their gains as long as they work together with other moderate opposition forces.
“The Kurds of Syria, like the Turkmen and Arabs, are our relatives,” he said. “We will support any achievement they have that is gained by working together with other moderate Syrian forces.”
He added however, that the Democratic Union Party (PYD) should make its position in the war clear, and most importantly severe ties with Damascus and the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK).
“But in the meantime, the PYD that coordinates with the Assad regime and has ties with the PKK which attacks Turkey, should make their position clear that they have no ties with the regime and end their ties with the PKK,” said Davutoglu.
“Any party that has ties with the PKK is against Turkey,” he added. “For any threat coming from ISIS or the PKK Turkey has the right to defend itself. But we will support the Kurds as a people among the Arabs and Turkmen of Syria.”
“We will never tolerate any terrorist activity on the other side of our border with Syria and Iraq, if there is any threat to Turkey by Daesh and PKK-link groups Turkey will have right to defend its border and security,” Davutoglu insisted.
“They are two evils supporting each other,” Davutoglu described Assad and ISIS. “If any country supports one evil against the other one, in fact helping both evils.”
“What we need to do is to have solidarity with all countries including Russia to make a transition in Syria.” Davutoglu called. “In the new Syria there should not be any place for Assad or Daesh.”
Yes, unfortunately, Turkey has taken the side of the terrorists for some time now, ever since they changed governments shortly before Bush went into Iraq.
How sweet! One of obamas BFF’s is helping with the Assad agenda. Also helping cover the fact that it is because of obama isis is not JV team.
Note that Muslims and liberals both always clein that the fault is with others.
And note also that neither group of idiots has ever produced anything of value.
This is how religious Muslims think.
OBAMA created ISIS (ISIL)
Why does no one ask him why he is the only one calling it ISIL
“by bombing moderate Syrian opposition forces”
I would wager that you could put all of the “moderate Syrian opposition forces” into a phone booth with room left over for a camel and a goat.
ISLAM created ISIS.
And "Obama stands with Islam", a matter of record.
ISIS appeared last summer. The Turkish PM is grasping at straws to draw a connection.
Terrorism was good enough for grandpa and it’s good enough for this generation of Turks.
Rubbish. Islam created ISIS.
Is it conspiracy theory to say Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the US gov have an agenda that could destroy civilization?
ISIS was created from the forces that opposed Assad in Syria.
They became powerful when:
1) Obama armed them with weapons from illegal operations in Libya
2) When Obama pulled US forces out of Iraq, creating a power vacuum
3) The newly armed ISIS was able to knock over a couple of Iraqi banks in the power vacuum
4) Iraqi “soldiers” abandoned billion of dollars worth of American-provided equipment out of fear and sympathy for ISIS
Islam created ISIS, but Obama made them powerful
The Turkish PM is grasping at straws to draw a connection because he is quaking in his boots because the rooskies have landed. History repeats itself, and Russia fought the Turks, et al in the Crimean War to protect Christians. Only back then, Ivan didn’t have MiGs and T-90s.
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