Turkey's Pm: Turkey Never Tolerates Radicalism

Turkey never tolerates any kind of radicalism and is doing all it can to stop foreign fighters entering Syria and Iraq, Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has said.



Speaking on Tuesday at a joint press conference with President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), Dervis Eroglu, in Lefkosa, Davutoglu said:  "The number of people coming from the European countries is far bigger than the participations (in ISIL) from Turkey.



"We want more comprehensive cooperation at this point. As Turkey, we are ready from the standpoint of cooperation."



He added: "We believe that a solution should be found with an inclusive approach against all sectarian and radical policies and all elements which pose a threat to the region, regardless of their ethnic origin."



Emphasizing that the Assad regime was responsible for the massacres in Syria, Davutoglu went on: "The Assad regime has paved the way for radicalization. The international community did not display sufficient solidarity to end these massacres." 



Western alarm



"Turkey never tolerates any radicalism ... we are against all kinds of ethnic and sectarian radical activities regardless of their form."



Western countries, particularly the U.K. and the U.S., have been alarmed over numbers of their nationals joining militant groups in the region.



Since the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant created a safe haven for foreign fighters in Syria more than a year ago, Western countries have voiced concern over such fighters, saying they posed a threat to their country of origin and could potentially return to commit terrorist acts.    



According to a report by New York-based think tank Soufan Group, more than 12,000 fighters from at least 81 countries have joined the civil war in Syria, and the numbers continue to grow.



The report estimates that 3,000 of the foreign fighters are from Western countries.



www.aa.com.tr/en - Lefkoşa