Preparing for possible refugees, Ankara wants Syrians' well-being

Nothing else matters when the issue is about humanitarian need and Turkey will not keep its distance from Syrians who are in need of help, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has stated in response to questions over a possible massive exodus from Syria to Turkey, underlining that Turkey would prefer Syrians' well-being at home without the need for such an exodus. Davutoglu's remarks came in the town of Kulu in Konya on Saturday, the second day of a three-day electioneering campaign in the run-up to the parliamentary elections on June 12. More than 200 Syrians crossed the border into Turkey earlier on Friday, seeking refuge from a deadly crackdown on protesters.” We have always supported the legitimate demands of the people in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria. Turkey has a principled manner on this issue. At the same time, as a country that feels responsible for the future of the region, we have done our best for the peaceful progress of these transition periods,” Davutoglu said, calling Syria “our most important neighbor, whose destiny is our destiny”. Turkey has always made all kinds of sacrifices for humanitarian causes. There is no reason to object when there are humanitarian reasons. Particularly the peoples in the neighboring countries are our siblings. When they have humanitarian needs, it is out of the question for us to keep our distance. That was the case with Libya, too,” Davutoglu said.