Erdogan in Bulgaria: I Don't Care What Assad Says

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov (middle) welcomed Friday in the Black Sea residence of Euxinograd, Qatari PM Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani (left) and Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Photo by BGNES

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has snubbed the statements of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the humanitarian and stability situation in Syria.

"I don't care what Bashar Assad says. It is important how we will act in order to protect the population that is undergoing violence," Erdogan told reporters at a meeting with the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov in Bulgaria's Varna on Friday.

Erdogan was in Bulgaria on a brief visit, which was also used in order to hold a trilateral meeting between him, Borisov, and visiting Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani.

The situation in Syria, which has been undergoing civil unrest for more than a year now, ever since the wave of the so called Arab Spring revolutions, was a major topic in the talks between the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria, Qatar, and Turkey.

Syria is a major challenge for the region, Erdogan noted in Varna, stressing that over 10 000 lives have been lost in the civil unrest in Turkey's neighbor so far.

At the same time, over 100 000 refugees are flocking to Turkey, Jordan, and other neighboring states from Syria, the Turkish PM added.

"People are fleeing from Assad," he said, referring to the opposition to the regime of the Syrian President.

Erdogan believes that the 300 UN observers deployed in Syria are insufficient, and that their number will be increased with a UN resolution; he thinks that at least 1000 observers are needed to follow closely the situation all over Syrian under the Annan peace plan.

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