AFP, KIEV: Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Monday accused Russia of acting as a “terrorist organisation” in Syria and vowed to deliver a robust response.
“If Russia continues behaving like a terrorist organisation and forcing civilians to flee, we will deliver an extremely decisive response,” Davutoglu said through an official translator during a visit to Kiev.
“Unfortunately, barbaric attacks on civilians are continuing in Syria and these attacks are being waged by both Russia and terrorist groups,” Davutoglu said.
“Russia and other terrorist organisations—first and foremost, the Islamist State in Syria—are responsible for numerous crimes against humanity,” he added.
Tensions between Russia and Turkey have soared over Moscow’s backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russia’s intense air campaign against what it claims are “terrorist” targets in its allied Middle Eastern state.
Turkey has long backed Assad’s ouster and like other Western nations accuses Russia of predominantly bombing Syrian rebel groups backed by Washington and its allies instead of the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
Assad’s forces have most recently used Russian air support to move ever closer to the rebel stronghold of Aleppo in northern Syria.
The resulting refugee flood toward Turkey has put renewed pressure on Ankara to open its border with Syria temporarily—a move Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has until now been unwilling to take.
Davutoglu further slammed the Syrian peace talks that were halted after only a few days this month in Geneva as “diplomatic theatre” for which “the international community will ultimately bear responsibility”.
Another news from Moscow adds: Russia said on Monday that Turkey’s shelling of Kurdish and Syrian regime positions in the north of the country was a “provocative” action.
“Starting from February 13, Turkish artillery concentrated in border areas is carrying out massive strikes on Syrian towns recently freed from terrorists by regime forces and Kurdish militia,” a statement by the Russian foreign ministry said.
“There have been many civilians killed and injured, infrastructure and residential houses destroyed,” it said.
“Moscow expresses its most serious concern about aggressive actions by Turkish authorities against a neighbouring state,” the statement said.
“We see it as overt support of international terrorism.”
“Russia will support discussion of this issue in the UN Security council for a clear assessment of the provocative line pursued by Ankara, which is creating a threat to peace and security in the Middle East and beyond.”
Turkey on Monday was shelling for the third day positions of Kurdish fighters, accused by Ankara of links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party that has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.
Moscow has been carrying out a campaign to support the Syrian army’s offensive since September and also has struck a tighter alliance with the Syrian Kurds who opened an office in Moscow last week.
Ankara has vowed to keep carrying out the strikes despite criticism from Western allies in the US-led coalition, with the spiralling disagreements making the prospects of a ceasefire set to start next month increasingly unlikely.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Monday that Turkey will not allow the Syrian town of Azaz just across from the Turkish border to fall under the control of Syrian Kurdish fighters
“We will not let Azaz fall,” Davutoglu was quoted as saying by the private NTV television on his plane en route to an official visit to Ukraine.
“The YPG (the People’s Protection Units, a Syrian Kurdish militia) will not be able to cross to the west of the Euphrates (River) and east of Afrin,” he added.
Turkish artillery struck at targets of Kurdish militia at the weekend, with Ankara insisting that it was returning fire under the rules of engagement.