Activities of Syrian-Turkish Forum Continue in Ankara

The Syrian-Turkish forum, which started activities on Saturday, continued in Anrkara, with the participation of writers and thinkers from Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. The talks centered on the policy of the Turkish government concerning the events in Syria, its connection to the US project and dangers in dragging the region into an open conflict. President of the Progressive Journalists' Association in Turkey Ahmet Abakay criticized the role of politicians in waging wars throughout history, as contrasted to the role of writers and men of letters and journalists in carrying a message of peace. ''We are neighbors in this region, and the Syrian and Turkish people are bound by close ties and mutual interests on the political and public levels, but Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan turned them into animosity in a matter of months.'' Member of the Arab Writers' Union in Syria Malek Sakkour stressed the importance that policy be marked with ethical values as the US is working on legitimizing the illegitimate and spreading violence and extremism in the world, especially in the Middle East, wondering about what prompted the Turkish prime minister to sabotage the exceptional relations between Syria and Turkey. Sakkour said there is a pressing need for literature and culture after the hopes of peoples for peace were undermined, and war, and destruction became a distinguishing feature of the times.Turkish participants criticized Erdogan's calls to western countries to interfere in Syria, indicating that the Turkish people are fully aware of the Syrians' rejection of foreign interference.The participants hailed Syria's support to Arab resistance and vowed to stand by it, calling upon all sides in Syria to start dialogue to ward off foreign interference. They stressed that the opposition councils formed abroad are liable to foreign interference and are being used by imperialist powers. They also reiterated rejection of foreign meddling in the Syrian affairs, warning that the Turkish policy may have serious consequences were it to continue.