Turkey ‘achieves results’ by cooperating with Russia

Meltem Bulur

ANKARA: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Tuesday said meetings against Daesh that gathered a coalition of 65 countries were futile.

“We achieve results with our cooperation with Russia,” Cavusoglu? said in a speech on Turkish foreign policy at Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO).?

Cavusoglu said: “Our cooperation with Russia started in Aleppo and then we added Iran to this cooperation. Whatever we agreed on, we applied […] Therefore, no one should be disturbed by this. On the contrary, they should support this.”

“We meet and meet [with the coalition] but there is no result. There is a coalition against Daesh with 65 countries in it. Sixty-five countries cannot fight Daesh and some of our allies in the coalition appeal to another terrorist or-ganization,” Cavusoglu said.

“This is essentially an indication of the insincerity and uncertainty of the global system. Sixty-five countries form a coalition against a terrorist organization and the Daesh terrorist organization is still everywhere. We have to question this.”

“We are neither responsible for the problems of the world nor is it up to Turkey or Russia to solve them. Then the global system, the international organizations need to be more effective,” Cavusoglu added.

The Global Coalition Against Daesh (GCAD)  was formed in September 2014 and is committed to degrading and defeating the terror group.

Beyond the military campaign in Syria and Iraq, the coalition also aims to tackle Daesh’s financing and economic infrastructure, prevent foreign terrorists from crossing borders and support stabilization and restoration in the areas liberated from Daesh. (AA)