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Turkeyâ€™s National Security Council vows to defend country

20 October 2012 22:56 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Turkeyâ€™s National Security Council (MGK), which convened under the chairmanship of President Abdullah GÃ¼l, vowed determination and strong will to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity amid increasing terrorist activity and escalating tension along the Turkish-Syrian border, APA reports quoting Today’s Zaman.
The monthly meeting, which brings together top civilian and military officials, reportedly focused on the escalating tension with Syria as intermittent exchange of artillery fire between the two neighboring countries added a new twist to Ankaraâ€™s policy towards the prolonged Syrian conflict.

A statement released following the meeting said Turkey is determined to take the necessary steps in line with international law to protect its national security and people.

The statement said officials reviewed measures to be taken to restore security along the border amid increasing signs of a possible spillover of the Syrian conflict into neighboring countries.

Terrorism was another theme that featured prominently during the meeting as clashes between the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the terrorist Kurdistan Workersâ€™ Party (PKK) have escalated in southeastern Turkey.

The gas flow through a pipeline carrying Iranian natural gas to Turkey was halted after PKK terrorists allegedly blew up a section of it in eastern Turkey late on Thursday, injuring 28 soldiers in a passing military vehicle.

The blast occurred in EleÅŸkirt, a district of AÄŸrÄ± province. AÄŸrÄ± Governor Mehmet Tekinarslan said the bomb was detonated by remote control as a vehicle transporting soldiers was passing by. The explosion left the 28 soldiers in the vehicle wounded and caused a fire that could only be extinguished after the flow of gas was shut off.

The statement also noted that the PKK has increasingly targeted public schools. The MGK praised the way people acted when a group of PKK terrorists kidnapped six teachers in a village in the eastern province of IÄŸdÄ±r, bordering Armenia, and subsequently released them upon protests by the villagers.

The state of Syrian refugees in Turkey, the political developments in the Middle East and relations with Iraq were also among the topics discussed during the meeting, the statement said.