KIRKLARELI, Turkey
Our first priority is keeping Turkey away from regional developments, which are under threat from radical organizations in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said on Wednesday.
In a speech in the Kirklareli province, Gul reiterated Turkey's concern over the developments in Iraq which started on June 10 after the hardline Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) seized Mosul, Iraq's second biggest city.
"Our first priority is to provide security in our country, and secondly is our effort to overcome regional conflicts," Gul said.
Militants linked with ISIL, abducted 49 people from the Turkish consulate in the flashpoint city of Mosul on June 11, one day after seizing 31 Turkish lorry drivers.
ISIL, who already controls of parts of Syria, has extended its reach into Iraq since June 10, when it seized the country’s second-largest city Mosul and soon afterwards took near-complete control of the city of Tikrit.
www.aa.com.tr/en
