Turkey says borders remain open for innocent Syrians

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu confirmed Wednesday that Turkey will not close its borders with Syria despite flow of foreign fighters, because many innocent Syrians are fleeing clashes in the conflict-hit country and entering Turkey.

“Turkish people have embraced innocent Syrians. Therefore, we cannot close border crossings for entrances. These are innocent people fleeing Syrian regime, chemical weapons and Islamic State (IS),” Davutoglu said at a press conference with visiting Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott in the Turkish capital of Ankara.

The IS poses utmost risks for Turkey compared to others, Davutoglu said, stressing that his country would not like to see any foreign fighters neither in Turkey nor in Syria.

He expressed Turkey’s readiness for cooperation on every issue as part of fight against the IS.

The two prime ministers released a declaration for joint struggle against the terrorist groups, including IS group, pledging cooperation to degrade IS threat, to block financial sources of the terrorist organizations and to extradite foreign fighters.

Turkey has deported some 1,300 foreigners and put travel ban for 12,800 on suspicion of trying to cross into Syria to join the IS.

Turkey has beefed up security measures to prevent foreign fighters from crossing into neighboring Syria through Turkish territory amid Western countries’ criticism that Ankara did not make its best to stem foreign fighters from joining ranks of the IS in Syria.