ABU DHABI // Turkey's foreign minister says the nation is not planning military action in Syria or to arm rebels, despite increased tensions on their joint border.
Ahmet Davutoglu said yesterday that the Syrian resistance could overcome the regime of Bashar Al Assad without intervention from Ankara.
He was speaking to The National on the sidelines of the Global Counterterrorism forum in Abu Dhabi.
"The Syrian people who resisted in the streets for the last 20 months will end the regime, not any other intervention," Mr Davutoglu said.
He added that the Syrian people have now taken their destiny into their own hands.
"The internal dynamics of the Syrian people will shape the destiny of Syria," he said.
Mr Davutoglu described the move by Nato members - the Netherlands, Germany and the United States - to send Patriot missile batteries to Turkey as a defensive action to counter the Syrian regime's border breaches, and their use of ballistic missiles against rebels.
"This is a defensive action because there were several violations of the Turkish border by the Syrians," he said.
"This is the border of Nato and there is also the risk of ballistic missiles which have been used, therefore we have implemented one of our contingencies by deploying Patriot missiles."
Turkey has repeatedly scrambled jets along the joint border and responded in kind when shells from the Syrian conflict crossed the border.
Mr Davutoglu said the "oppressive Syrian regime" has "created its own end".
"Turkey has always been with the people of Syria and we believe oppressors cannot survive. As many observers believe, the days of the regime are ending," he said.
"I hope the regime will end with out any more bloodshed."
According to Mr Davutoglu, there are more than 142,000 Syrian refugees in Turkish camps and another 60,000 to 70,000 people in various Turkish cities since the beginning of the conflict.
"We have been doing everything to help our Syrian brothers and sisters and in camps they have all the facilities - three hot meals a day, kindergartens and schools," he said.
The Turkish government has spent more than US$400 million on Syrian refugees so far, Mr Davutoglu added.
"We will be doing more and we declared an open-door policy which will continue. Our doors, our homes, our hearts are open to our Syrian brothers and sisters," he said.
amustafa@thenational.ae
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Quick%20facts
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Results
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
SPECS
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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