Tension at Turkey's Syrian border increases

The tension at Turkey's border with Syria increased, after Syrian forces fired shots across the border yesterday, and thus wounded two Syrian refugees and a Turkish translator and a police officer. Foreign Ministry Deputy Undersecretary Halit Cevik telephoned the chargé d'affaires, saying that said the shooting at the frontier must stop. Furthermore, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Feridun Sinirlioglu summoned Syrian chargé d'affaires Mounzer Mounzer, reiterating that violation of Turkey's sovereignty rights is unacceptable and that Turkey's right to self defense is reserved. In a written statement, the Foreign Ministry said all Syrians who take shelter in Turkey were under the country's "full protection" and warned that "necessary measures will be implemented, in case such incidents are repeated." Touching upon the April 10 deadline for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to withdraw the Syrian military from urban centers, Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru said, "April 10 has become irrelevant. A new phase will be starting as from tomorrow." Koru also said that Ankara was investigating the shooting incident on the border and evaluating how serious it is and whether it was directed at Turkey.