Turkish FM meets with Syrian rebel premier

ANKARA - Hürriyet Daily News

Turkish FM Ahmet Davutoglu (L) shakes hands with Syrian opposition PM Ghassan Hitto. AFP photo

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu met Ghassan Hitto, who was elected this week by the Syrian opposition coalition to be prime minister of an interim government, on March 22. The meeting came ahead of a visit by the Syrian opposition’s PM to Qatar for an Arab League meeting, where the opposition’s representative will take the seat of Syria at the table.

In brief remarks to press ahead of the meeting, Hitto expressed his gratitude for Turkey’s humanitarian assistance to his country’s people, adding that two things remained on his mind after visiting the camps for Syrian refugees.

“The first one has to do with a sentence written at the entrance of the camp reading ‘They are Turkey’s guests.’ This message reflects the relations between our peoples. The second one is about the high level of assistance to Syrians at the camps. I thank Turkey for the hospitality displayed,” Hitto said. 

‘Turkey will continue to do its best’

The upcoming term would be a difficult one for them, he admitted, adding that “all fronts must be united” if success is to be achieved.

For his part, Davutoğlu pledged that Turkey would continue doing its best to achieve a peaceful resolution to the Syrian conflict as soon as possible.

“The Syrian opposition has taken another crucial step after forming the Syrian National Coalition. An interim government was established and Mr. Hitto has become their prime minister. We have always respected the decisions of the Syrian people and opposition,” the minister added.

Earlier in the day, Davutoğlu held a closed-door meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.