Turkey and Norway shut embassies in Syrian capital
Source: Agencies |
March 27, 2012, Tuesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
TURKEY closed its embassy in Damascus yesterday and called back its ambassador to Syria, citing a worsening security situation in the country.
Activities at the embassy in the Syrian capital are being "temporarily suspended," but Turkey's consulate in Aleppo will remain operational, a brief statement posted on the embassy's website said.
The embassy is being closed because of the poor security situation in Syria, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity in line with ministry regulations.
The Turkish ambassador and other diplomats will be returning to Turkey, he said.
The move comes two days after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was on the brink of breaking diplomatic ties with Syria and withdrawing its ambassador.
The UN says more than 8,000 people, many of them civilian protesters, have been killed since Syria's President Bashar Assad launched a crackdown on the opposition a year ago.
Turkey, which shares a 911-kilometer border with Syria, has said it cannot ignore the atrocities on its doorstep and is seeking ways to stem the violence and push Assad toward leaving power.
About 17,000 Syrians refugees who have fled the violence are now in Turkey, many in temporary refugee camps. Turkey also is allowing Syrian civilian and army defectors to shelter and regroup on its territory.
In Oslo, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said yesterday it has decided to close down its embassy in Damascus due to security concerns.
Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said Norway has closed the embassy until further notice, but that a Norwegian diplomat will continue to work in Syria through the Danish embassy.
Activities at the embassy in the Syrian capital are being "temporarily suspended," but Turkey's consulate in Aleppo will remain operational, a brief statement posted on the embassy's website said.
The embassy is being closed because of the poor security situation in Syria, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity in line with ministry regulations.
The Turkish ambassador and other diplomats will be returning to Turkey, he said.
The move comes two days after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey was on the brink of breaking diplomatic ties with Syria and withdrawing its ambassador.
The UN says more than 8,000 people, many of them civilian protesters, have been killed since Syria's President Bashar Assad launched a crackdown on the opposition a year ago.
Turkey, which shares a 911-kilometer border with Syria, has said it cannot ignore the atrocities on its doorstep and is seeking ways to stem the violence and push Assad toward leaving power.
About 17,000 Syrians refugees who have fled the violence are now in Turkey, many in temporary refugee camps. Turkey also is allowing Syrian civilian and army defectors to shelter and regroup on its territory.
In Oslo, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said yesterday it has decided to close down its embassy in Damascus due to security concerns.
Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said Norway has closed the embassy until further notice, but that a Norwegian diplomat will continue to work in Syria through the Danish embassy.
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