Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday on the first stop of a regional tour focusing on Israel's attacks on Gaza Strip. Their meeting centered on "the dangerous situation in the Gaza Strip because of the Israeli aggression," Syria's official SANA news agency reported.
Before leaving Ankara the Turkish premier said, according to AFP, he was "deeply concerned over the developments in Gaza since this ruthless operation began on Saturday. The objective of my tour is to help stop these dangerous developments."
Erdogan called for an immediate halt to the Israeli attacks on Gaza, and said "a permanent ceasefire should be urgently secured to prevent irreversible developments in the region."
On his part, Assad on Tuesday "underlined the necessity for halting the Israeli massacres which are being committed against the unarmed Palestinian people, lifting the unjust siege on them and opening all the crossings permanently," SANA said.
Turkey said Monday it had suspended efforts to mediate indirect peace talks between Israel and Syria, saying that the onslaught on Gaza had led to "deep disappointment" in Ankara.
