Moscow concerned about Turkey-Syria border conflict: Russian FM

Moscow concerned about Turkey-Syria border conflict: Russian FM

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow is concerned about the “deteriorating” situation on the border between Syria and Turkey

“As far as the incident between Syria and Turkey goes, it is of great concern for us. The situation is deteriorating with every coming day,” Lavrov said at a press conference during a visit to the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Thursday.

On Wednesday, a Syrian mortar strike killed five people in the southeastern Turkish town of Akcakale in Sanliurfa province.

Lavrov stated that Syrian authorities told Russian officials that “what happened at the border with Turkey was a tragic accident, and that it will not happen again.”

On Thursday, several Syrian soldiers were reportedly killed in a retaliatory attack by Turkish forces on a military post near Syria’s border town of Tel Abyad.

The Turkish parliament is scheduled to discuss a motion for cross-border military operations inside Syria “when deemed necessary” later on Thursday.

Meanwhile, NATO ambassadors held an emergency meeting in Brussels on Wednesday over the Turkish-Syrian border clashes and said in a statement, “The alliance continues to stand by Turkey and demands the immediate cessation of such aggressive acts against an ally.”

On October 2, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told reporters in Moscow, “In our contacts with partners in NATO and in the region, we are calling on them not to seek pretexts for carrying out a military scenario or to introduce initiatives such as humanitarian corridors or buffer zones” inside Syria.