Turkey slams Russia’s call to close border with Syria

The Turkish foreign ministry has criticised Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov after he called for the closure of the Turkish-Syrian border, claiming that weapons were reaching “terrorists” via humanitarian convoys entering Syria through its border with Turkey.

Ministry Spokesman Tanju Bilgic described Lavrov’s claims as “malicious allegations” during a press conference in Ankara, calling them an attempt to cover up Russia’s war crimes in Syria.

“Lavrov’s remarks are a product of a futile effort made to cover up Russia’s war crimes in Syria,” he said.

The Russian Foreign Minister said at the High Level Segment of the UN Human Rights Council session on Tuesday that aid convoys bound for Syria from Turkey supply militants with arms.

The Turkish foreign ministry spokesman also said that Russia and the Syrian regime have been shelling civilian areas despite the “cessation of hostilities” agreement and warned that the continuation of the bombing could damage the Syria peace talks scheduled to start on 9 March in Geneva.

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