TASHKENT, Uzbekistan
Turkey has never taken sides on violence nor supported any radical groups in Syria or Iraq, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has reiterated during a visit to Uzbekistan.
Asked about Turkey's foreign policy in Iraq and Syria on Thursday, the minister said: "The (Assad) regime uses bombs and chemical weapons against opponents, which has led to millions of people becoming refugees."
He said about 70 percent of those fleeing the conflict were women and children and Turkey cannot close its doors to them.
Referring to the abduction of Turkish consulate staff in Iraq by the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) militants in early June, he said: "We do not have any influence on the radical groups. What we want is their safety and peace."
Syria has been gripped by almost constant fighting since the Bashar al-Assad regime launched a violent crackdown in response to anti-government protests in March 2011, triggering a conflict that has spiraled into a bloody civil war.
In addition, Iraq has seen a significant increase in sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia Muslims since June, when a coalition of armed opposition groups led by ISIL took control of large swathes of the country's predominantly Sunni provinces.
www.aa.com.tr/en
