BERLIN
Turkish Defense Minister Ismet Yilmaz said on Tuesday that the continued threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant cannot be eliminated without overthrowing the Assad regime.
“ISIL is a serious threat to the security and stability of the wider region,” Yilmaz said at the 13th Berlin Security Conference, also known as the Congress on European Security and Defense. “As we confront the threats presented by extremist groups, it is important not to lose focus of the root cause of this problem. So long as this regime stays, Syria will not be a stable or a secure place.”
While bombing and military support for the Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga has slowed down ISIL in some areas, the threat has not been eliminated, Yilmaz said.
“More than a third of Iraq is still under ISIL's control, and the terrorist group has adjusted its strategy according to evolving conditions,” Yilmaz said. “The developments in Iraq reveal the need to develop a more holistic approach and a comprehensive strategy in confronting these pressing challenges. Unless the international community takes resolute action, the region will be driven into a wider sectarian conflict,” he warned.
Responding to questions by journalists at the conference, the Turkish Defense Minister said that ISIL was not the only problem; there have been almost a hundred terror groups in the region.
“Two years ago we were talking about Al Qaida. Today we are talking about ISIL. Tomorrow maybe we will be talking about another,” Yilmaz said.
“Therefore we should focus on the root causes of the problem, and develop resolute cooperation without making any differentiation between the terrorist groups,” he said.
Yilmaz said that Turkey has never provided any support for any terrorist group and would continue its efforts for a strong international cooperation against all these groups.
Turkey’s Defense Minister also assured that Turkey will continue to extend help for Syrian and Iraqi refugees without consideration of their being Arab, Kurdish, Turkmen, Ezidi, Shiite, Nusayri or Christian.
Yilmaz said that so far more than 1,8 million Syrians have fled to Turkey from the conflict in Syria, and Turkey has spent more than $4,5 billion to support the refugees.
He called on the international community to share the burden of the neighboring countries.
“As the conflict has entered its fourth year, the tragic consequences of the regime's brutality are all taken up by neighboring countries. What we expect from our partners is an active engagement and meaningful contribution in sharing this burden,” he said.
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