‘Turkey plays active, stabilizing, order-building role in region’

Turkey has played an active, stabilizing, and order-building role regarding the extraordinary developments in its region, including the Syrian crisis, Turkey's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said on Friday.

"The country has both ensured its own security and followed a realistic and humane migration policy," he posted on Twitter.

In this process, under the leadership of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey has implemented the strategy of eliminating terrorism at its source, and has carried out many successful cross-border operations, Altun noted.

"Turkey has carried out these operations to fight terrorist organizations and their patrons, and to establish peace corridors just beyond its borders," Altun said, adding that as a matter of fact, 500,000 Syrians have returned to the liberated regions so far.

"Those who stand against our efforts to ensure the voluntary and dignified return of our Syrian brothers to the regions where we have ensured security and to find a permanent solution to the problem are now provoking the situation with Cold War-era psychological warfare techniques," Altun added.

All relevant institutions, including the Turkish Interior Ministry and National Defense Ministry, under the leadership of Erdoğan, closely monitor the issue of migration inside and outside Turkish borders, take the necessary precautions and never allow any irregularity, according to Altun.

"Turkey is a big and powerful country. First of all, we will ensure the safety and increase the welfare of our own citizens, while on the other hand, we will strengthen our position as a regional power and take strong steps towards becoming a global actor," Altun said.