Middle Orient

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is to hold a critical and urgent meeting to evaluate the most recent situation in Syria and the possible international military operation in the country.

Russia evacuated 116 Russian citizens and nationals of other ex-Soviet states on two planes belonging to the emergencies ministry which flew them from the Syrian port city of Latakia, the ministry said on Wednesday. The first plane, an Ilyushin-76 cargo plane, brought back 89 people wanting to leave the conflict-torn …

Turkey expects a method of action against Syria that will help clarify the picture in the Arab republic rather than measures that will further lead to uncertainty amid the county’s two-year-old civil war, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Aug. 28.

Officials say Britain’s National Security Council has backed Prime Minister David Cameron’s call for action against Syria for its alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians.

Russia on Wednesday warned the West that military strikes against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could destabilize the entire Middle East, as it again denied his government was behind a chemical weapons attack.

“Over the next few days the Security Council with the Prime Minister will hold a sitting over the situation in Syria,” Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Vigenin said after a meeting with Prime Minister Plamen Oresharski and Secretary General of the Council on Regional Cooperation Goran Svilanovic. “We will …

Greece’s political leadership on Tuesday dismissed speculation of a Greek role in a possible military intervention in Syria. Greece is a “bastion of stability and security in a region set ablaze,” Greek Prime Minister

American forces are “ready” to launch strikes on Syria if President Barack Obama chooses to order an attack, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel says. “We have moved assets in place to be able to fulfill and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take,” Mr Hagel said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu held phone calls with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the evening of Aug. 26, focusing on the chemical attack claims in Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that the chemical-weapons use against civilians in Syria is inexcusable and “undeniable,” and that President Barack Obama will make an informed decision on how to respond. “Indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity,” Kerry said.