Turkey closes its embassy in Syria

The Foreign Ministry said that Turkey suspended all activities at its embassy in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Monday. Sources said that Turkish Ambassador to Damascus Omer Onhon and Turkish diplomatic staff in Damascus are expected to arrive in Ankara soon. Reportedly, two important issues caused Ankara to make such a decision. Firstly, Turkey's diplomatic staff in Damascus who has been threatened by supporters of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was running death risk. After the Foreign Ministry has consulted the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) with regard to the issue, it has received a reply, stating that it would be a right move to close the Turkish Embassy in Damascus. Secondly, UN Arab League special envoy on Syria Kofi Annan painted a picture of Syria during his visit to Ankara, after which Assad stipulated that the opponents lay down their arms. This situation also caused Ankara to clarify such a decision.