ANKARA (AA) – Turkey must develop good relations with Syria and Iraq for efforts to fight terrorism to succeed, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday.
Yildirim said Turkey would “enlarge its circle of friendship as much as possible” in remarks suggesting renewed ties in the region to replicate the recent rapprochement with Israel and Russia.
“It is our greatest and irrevocable goal — developing good relations with Syria and Iraq and all our neighbors that surround the Mediterranean and the Black Sea,” the prime minister said at a meeting in Ankara.
“We normalized relations with Russia and Israel. I am sure we will normalize relations with Syria as well. To prevail in the fight against terrorism, stability needs to return to Syria and Iraq.”
Last month Turkey ended its six-year split with Israel as well as restoring relations with Moscow.
Yildirim also condemned “evil-minded people” opposed to granting Syrian refugees Turkish citizenship. Around 2.7 million Syrians are being sheltered in Turkey.
