Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday called on world leaders to accept the turkish plan for a safe zone inside Syria, only days before it hosts the G20 summit.
Speaking to a group of businessmen in the capital Ankara, Erdogan said the Syrian conflict would be a “major topic” at the G20 summit in the tourist resort of Antalya on Sunday and Monday.
US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia King Salman are all attending the meeting.
Erdogan has repeatedly pressed for a safe zone inside Syria in the area of Azaz and Jarablus in the north, which could house some of the 2.2 million Syrian refugees currently hosted by Turkeyand act as a buffer to protect Turkish territory.
The idea has met with only a lukewarm response from world powers but there have been indications fromAnkara in the last few days that the West is coming closer to its point of view.
“More realistic steps need to be taken for a solution including our proposal in particular to establish a safe zone cleared of terror,” Erdogan said.
