ANKARA
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said their aim was to end the bloodshed in Syria and to create a political change to be shaped by the will of the Syrian people.
Speaking at a joint press conference with the Secretary General of the United Nations (UN) Ban Ki-moon in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Friday, Ahmet Davutoglu underlined that it was impossible to prevent the deepening of the crisis in Syria as the UN, and most specifically the Security Council, could not display the necessary attitude.
Thanking Ban Ki-moon for his sensitivity on Syria, Davutoglu said that Ban Ki-moon on Friday visited a camp that shelters Syrian refugees in Islahiye town of the south-eastern province of Gaziantep.
What began as a political problem in Syria turned into a great humanitarian crisis and a civil war, Davutoglu noted.
Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and we discussed the issue of Syria in great details on Friday, Davutoglu said.
"Our aim is to end the bloodshed in Syria and facilitate a political change to be shaped by the will of the Syrian people. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has made great efforts in this regard. He has done all he can in all phases of the Syrian crisis. As the UN could not display the necessary determined posture on Syria, the UN Security Council could not prevent the deepening of the Syrian crisis," Davutoglu indicated.
"We are in touch with the UN to overcome the Syrian crisis. We have received information from Ban Ki-moon on the developments pertaining to Syria. We have provided information to Ban Ki-moon on the diplomatic developments following the visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to Turkey recently," Davutoglu said.
"We have thanked Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for his stance on Palestine that eventually led to an upgrade in their status to 'non-member observer state' in the UN," Davutoglu stated.
"We also discussed turning Istanbul into an UN center with Ban Ki-moon today. There is a possibility of many UN organizations to open regional offices in Istanbul. We thank Ban Ki-moon for his support in this regard. Mr. Ban Ki-moon is an honorary resident of Istanbul as a Korean who can sing the 'Uskudar' song. He extends great support to Istanbul's new status. We are determined to make Istanbul a global center of peace," Davutoglu also said.
