Turkey's prime minister accuses Russia of attempting 'ethnic cleansing' in Syria

On Wednesday, Turkey's prime minister said that Russian airstrikes are "strengthening" the Islamic State and targeting people who "do not have good relations with the [Syrian] regime."

Ahmet Davutoglu told reporters in Istanbul that the airstrikes are hitting "Turkmen and Sunni populations," and "Russia is trying to make ethnic cleansing [happen] in the northern Latakia" region. Russia and Turkey have been at odds since Turkey shot down a Russian warplane along the Syrian border; Turkey said the plane violated its airspace, a claim Russia denies. Russia says its airstrikes have targeted jihadist groups like ISIS, but Syrian rebels say they are really targeting groups that are against President Bashar al-Assad, a Russian ally.

Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared on television with the downed plane's flight recorder, BBC News reports, and said "whatever we learn won't change our attitude to what the Turkish authorities did. We used to treat Turkey not only as our friend but also as an ally in the fight against terrorism. Nobody expected this low, treacherous stab in the back."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up