Russia causing civilian deaths, Deputy PM says

ANKARA

Turkey’s deputy prime minister has slammed Russia over civilian killings in Syria saying: “Russia has been party to the crime in reckless manner”.

Yalcin Akdogan was speaking on Wednesday at Anadolu Agency’s Editors’ Desk in Ankara.

Akdogan also accused the international community of not showing sensitivity to deaths of innocent people killed by the Bashar al-Assad regime with Russia’s assistance.

“Schools, hospitals were bombed. Civilians, students were dead there… Innocent people have lost their lives,” Akdogan said, adding that Russia had struck sites from the sea and air.

He also said that actors in Syria were battling each other to acquire political clout under the guise of fighting Daesh.

“Daesh have been transformed into a [key] which unlocks all doors”, Akdogan said, adding that the terror group has turned into an instrument to rearrange domestic policy and regional borders.

Akdogan also talked about Syrian refuges living in Turkey.

The deputy PM said that 270,000 of the 2.5 million Syrian refuges in the country were living in government-provided accommodation.

Akdogan also talked about the country’s international aid programs run by the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) and the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD).

He said that TIKA and AFAD were carrying out humanitarian campaigns in 140 countries, and that TIKA had working offices in 48 countries.

Turkey’s total spending on development aid reached $6.4 billion in 2014, the deputy PM stated.

Akdogan said: “Turkey has constructed 171 schools, almost 90 hospitals and over 1,000 water wells until now”.