Erdogan urges Putin and Obama for no-fly zone in Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. File photo.
(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – Turkey urged the United States and Russia to establish a no-fly zone in order to create a ‘safe zone’ in Syria.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had raised the idea in his meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barak Obama at the G20 leaders’ summit in Hangzhou, China.
Speaking in China, Erdogan on Monday said, “A no-fly zone could be set up there, and that was my suggestion to both Obama and Putin. This could be achieved with the coalition forces. We are in an effort to take this step.”
Turkey, which hosts 3 million Syrian refugees, has long pushed for a safe zone to protect civilians but has found little appetite among Western allies, who fear such a move would involve a deeper military commitment.