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Al-Arabiya, UAE
Oct 15 2012
Armenian plane lands in Turkey for security check; 100,000 Syrian
refugees in Turk camps
Monday, 15 October 2012
By Al Arabiya with Agencies
An Armenian plane was forced to land in Turkey on Monday for security
checks, the private NTV television network reported.
It was not immediately clear why the plane was ordered to land in the
eastern province of Erzurum, according to AFP.
Armenia said the Syria-bound plane was carrying humanitarian aid and
that its landing was pre-planned.
“The plane, which was carrying humanitarian cargo to Syria, made a
pre-planned landing in Turkey. The landing in Turkey was previously
agreed with the Turkish side,” Armenian foreign ministry spokesman
Tigran Balaian told AFP.
Turkey forced down a Syrian airliner en route from Moscow last
Wednesday and said it was carrying Russian munitions destined for
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military, infuriating Moscow and
Damascus.
Meanwhile, the number of Syrian refugees housed in camps in southern
Turkey has exceeded 100,000, the Turkish disaster management agency
(AFAD) said on Monday, a level beyond which Ankara had previously said
it would struggle to accommodate more.
Turkey, which has taken on an increasingly leading role in
international opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has
called already for the United Nations to build refugee camps in a safe
zone within Syria’s borders.
AFAD said in a statement there were now 100,363 Syrians at more than
a dozen camps in Turkish provinces along the border, according to
Reuters.
Tensions between Turkey and Syria have risen in the past two weeks
because of cross-border shelling, and escalated on Oct. 10 when Ankara
forced down a Syrian airliner en route from Moscow, accusing it of
carrying Russian munitions for Assad's military.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Sunday Turkish air
space had been closed to Syrian planes. Syria banned Turkish planes
from flying over its territory on Saturday.
In an interview with German daily Die Welt, Turkey’s Europe minister
Egemen Bagis said: “Europe should start thinking about the people who
have fled Syria into Turkey.”
“Europe is in a state of paralysis. There is no progress because it
is completely fixated on the euro crisis,” he added, referring to the
three-year financial difficulties that have plunged many eurozone
countries into recession.
Bagis spoke as EU finance ministers met in Luxembourg to ramp up
pressure on Syria and also Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
In September, the European Commission announced an additional 50
million euros ($65 million) in humanitarian aid to help civilians
caught up in the violence.
That brought the total available from the Commission to 119 million
euros and the EU’s contribution in all to 200 million euros, or half
of all international help offered at that point.
But Bagis demanded more, telling Die Welt: “Europe has to help people
who need a safe haven. It's time for Europe to finally help out.”
The United Nations estimates that more than 2.5 million people have
been affected by the fighting. There are more than 348,000 Syrian
refugees registered in neighboring countries, but many more are
unregistered.
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/15/243831.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Oct 15 2012
Armenian plane lands in Turkey for security check; 100,000 Syrian
refugees in Turk camps
Monday, 15 October 2012
By Al Arabiya with Agencies
An Armenian plane was forced to land in Turkey on Monday for security
checks, the private NTV television network reported.
It was not immediately clear why the plane was ordered to land in the
eastern province of Erzurum, according to AFP.
Armenia said the Syria-bound plane was carrying humanitarian aid and
that its landing was pre-planned.
“The plane, which was carrying humanitarian cargo to Syria, made a
pre-planned landing in Turkey. The landing in Turkey was previously
agreed with the Turkish side,” Armenian foreign ministry spokesman
Tigran Balaian told AFP.
Turkey forced down a Syrian airliner en route from Moscow last
Wednesday and said it was carrying Russian munitions destined for
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military, infuriating Moscow and
Damascus.
Meanwhile, the number of Syrian refugees housed in camps in southern
Turkey has exceeded 100,000, the Turkish disaster management agency
(AFAD) said on Monday, a level beyond which Ankara had previously said
it would struggle to accommodate more.
Turkey, which has taken on an increasingly leading role in
international opposition to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has
called already for the United Nations to build refugee camps in a safe
zone within Syria’s borders.
AFAD said in a statement there were now 100,363 Syrians at more than
a dozen camps in Turkish provinces along the border, according to
Reuters.
Tensions between Turkey and Syria have risen in the past two weeks
because of cross-border shelling, and escalated on Oct. 10 when Ankara
forced down a Syrian airliner en route from Moscow, accusing it of
carrying Russian munitions for Assad's military.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Sunday Turkish air
space had been closed to Syrian planes. Syria banned Turkish planes
from flying over its territory on Saturday.
In an interview with German daily Die Welt, Turkey’s Europe minister
Egemen Bagis said: “Europe should start thinking about the people who
have fled Syria into Turkey.”
“Europe is in a state of paralysis. There is no progress because it
is completely fixated on the euro crisis,” he added, referring to the
three-year financial difficulties that have plunged many eurozone
countries into recession.
Bagis spoke as EU finance ministers met in Luxembourg to ramp up
pressure on Syria and also Iran over its disputed nuclear program.
In September, the European Commission announced an additional 50
million euros ($65 million) in humanitarian aid to help civilians
caught up in the violence.
That brought the total available from the Commission to 119 million
euros and the EU’s contribution in all to 200 million euros, or half
of all international help offered at that point.
But Bagis demanded more, telling Die Welt: “Europe has to help people
who need a safe haven. It's time for Europe to finally help out.”
The United Nations estimates that more than 2.5 million people have
been affected by the fighting. There are more than 348,000 Syrian
refugees registered in neighboring countries, but many more are
unregistered.
http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/10/15/243831.html
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress