Residents of the
southern Turkish province of Hatay have expressed their dismay over the
Ankara government’s approach towards the crisis in neighboring Syria and
its support for foreign-sponsored Syrian militants, Press TV reports.
The locals argue that Turkish officials are adding fuel to the flames of Syrian conflict, and complain about the large influx of Libyans, Moroccans, and Tunisians to their country.
They believe that these Arab nationals are using the Turkish soil as a transit to enter Syria, and join rebels who are battling against the Syrian Army forces.
“What are Libyan nationals doing in Antakya? What kind of business do Libyans have in Turkey? Of course, they are on the way to put people in Syria,” Bassil Samaan Chipper from Christian Association said.
Residents of Hatay province told Press TV that Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey allowed Syria to plunge into chaos, and constructed the scenario years ago.
“This plan was created years ago to take over Syria. Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the (United States of) America are playing a big game. They are trying to curb Iran’s influence in the region, and partake Israel. Syrian people are paying the price with their lives,” Farid Mainy, a Turkish man, said.
He added that the Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries deployed in the province are there to protect.
Mainy also rebuffed the potential for a threat from Syria, stressing that Ankara and Damascus have long been in close contact with other.
In December 2012, NATO approved Turkey’s request for the deployment of the Patriots in its territory. Germany’s Bundestag parliament approved the deployment - limited to one year - on December 14, 2012.
Each Patriot battery has an average of 12 missile launchers.
Russia, Syria, and Iran have strongly opposed the stationing of the Patriot systems in Turkey.
On January 21, two ships carrying Dutch and German Patriot batteries anchored at Turkey’s southwestern port of Iskenderun.
The Dutch batteries were deployed in Adana, while the German batteries were sent to Kahramanmaras.
The United States has also sent a pair of Patriots to Turkey, which were deployed in Gaziantep province.
Syria has been experiencing unrest since March 2011. Many people, including large numbers of security forces, have been killed in the turmoil.
The Syrian government says that the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country, and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.
Press TV
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