ANKARA, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) — Turkey on Friday summoned the Russian ambassador in Ankara to protest against Russian airstrikes on Turkmen villages in northern Syria, close to the Turkish border.
Ankara asked Moscow to end the operation immediately, the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Tanju Bilgic said in a statement.
“The Russian acts are not a fight against terror, but bombing of Turkmen villages which may lead to serious consequences,” the spokesperson added.
Turkish Foreign Ministry officials also had a phone call with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and conveyed warnings, the spokesperson said.
“In recent days, there is an intensified attack against Syrian people, our Turkmen siblings,” Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters on Friday, noting that Ankara had contacts with Russia.
“We are against all kinds of attacks staged against civilian people. We are against all kinds of attacks that would lead to a new influx of refugees. We are condemning this barbarian attack in the strongest way,” he said.
“Nobody can legitimize massacres targeting our Turkmen, Arab and Kurdish siblings there, claiming fight against terror,” he added.