Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that continued breaches of the ceasefire in Syria by Russia and the Assad regime have rendered the truce “vulnerable” and are not helping the refugee or migrant crisis.
At a joint news conference with European Union Council President Donald Tusk on Thursday, Davutoglu said the number of refugees crossing into Turkey would decrease if the ceasefire “is truly implemented.”
Davutoglu held the Assad regime and its allies responsible for the Syrian crisis which has led to the emergence of terrorist organizations in the region, stressing that Turkey and the EU are the sides most affected by this crisis.
The Turkish premier added that the meeting with Tusk discussed the latest developments regarding the Syrian file, the refugee crisis, and burdens placed on Turkey and the EU as a result of the crisis in Syria.
For his part, Tusk pointed out that some parties began to use the refugee crisis as a tool to achieve their own goals.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) yesterday said it had documented 35 violations of the UN-sponsored truce on its fifth day, on Wednesday.
SNHR said that the Russian and regime forces were responsible for 23 violations in the form of continued military operations and airstrikes. The network added it recorded 12 more breaches in the form of arrests carried out by the Assad regime.
The network monitoring the UN-brokered “cessation of hostilities” agreement, which took effect on February 27, said it had documented three violations in Latakia province by Russian forces who continue to launch airstrikes on Syria.
These breaches of the truce bring the total number of the breaches to 180 since it was announced on February 27. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Agencies)
