President Erdoğan urges Muslim countries to unite before its too late

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday urged Islamic nations to unite and show solidarity with each other.

In an interview with the Saudi Arabia-based television channel, Rotana, Erdoğan said despicable developments are being formed against the Islamic world.

“Turkey and Saudi Arabia are being targeted. We see that all pitfalls and plans are pointed against the Islamic world,” he said.

At least 600,000 people have been killed in Syria due to the ongoing war, he said, and the Islamic world should cooperate even more closely before it is too late.

Turkey and the U.S. launched an operation in northern Syria in late August to clear the area of Daish elements. Ankara has no expansionist designs for Syria, Erdoğan said as he indicated his country currently hosts nearly 3 million refugees at a cost of $12.5 billion because of an “Islamic and emotional duty”.

He added that the West evades responsibility to refugees and those countries are closing their borders.

Erdoğan also said that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama regarding the ceasefire issue in Syria.

He reiterated once again that Assad, who is responsible for killing 600,000 civilians in Syria, must leave and cannot be a part of the country’s future.

In response to allegations claiming that the treatment of Gülenist terror cult (FETÖ) members in Turkey is similar to the treatment Muslim Brotherhood members received in Egpyt, Erdoğan said that the situation is completely different.

“In Egypt, the Defense Minister toppled the President and made bogus elections to take over the seat. This is not the case in Turkey” Erdoğan said and added that hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets when he called on them.

He highlighted that the current administration in Egypt is a coup administration and is not a democratic one and that it is necessary to resolve the problem as soon as possible.

“The process to normalize relations between Turkey and Egypt can be started if the imprisoned leaders of Egypt’s democratically elected government, -including President Morsi- are released” Erdoğan said.

He also noted that the two countries have strong historical ties and that restoration of trade relations would be beneficial, but said that he would not accept any talks at the presidential level, as he deems it unethical at the moment.

Regarding the situation in Iraq, he said Mosul belongs to its residents.

“After Mosul will be rescued from Daish, only Sunni Arabs, Turkmen and Sunni Kurds should remain there,” he said.

Turning to developments in Washington, a U.S. bill passed last week that allows victims of terrorist attacks to sue foreign governments deemed responsible was a point of concern for Erdoğan as he joined Saudi officials in voicing apprehension about the legislation.

“We expressed disapproval regarding the adaptation of the 9/11 victims bill,” Erdoğan said.

The U.S. Congress voted overwhelmingly in favor to override President Barack Obama’s veto of the Justice against State Sponsors of Terrorism Act that is supported by the families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington who hope to sue the Saudi government for its alleged role in the attacks.

Obama has argued that the bill would open U.S. military personnel and officials to lawsuits by foreign governments.

SOURCE:ANADOLUS AGENCY