"Just one spark may set the entire region on fire and open the door for the conflict," Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said in an interview Wednesday morning. (Photo: Reformlar.gov.tr)
Apr 11, 2018
As fears of a possible direct conflict between Russia and the United States mounted after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Moscow to "get ready" for missiles that "will be coming" at Syria in a series of tweets, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said in an interview Wednesday morning that a clash between the two nuclear powers in Syria could have devastating consequences across the Middle East.
"Just one spark may set the entire region on fire and open the door for the conflict."
--Nurettin Canikli, Turkish Defense Minister"Just one spark may set the entire region on fire and open the door for the conflict," Canikli said in an interview on 24TV, a Turkish news broadcast.
"If an attack occurs against the forces [in Syria] backed by Russia or there is an attack by the U.S.-supported forces, Russia won't be able to stay away, otherwise it will lose its influence. So, serious clashes may start," Canikli added, urging the U.S., Russian, and Syrian governments to "act with restraint."
The Turkish defense minister's stark warning comes on the heels of several early morning tweets by Trump that intensified concerns that the U.S. is preparing to launch a military attack on Syria, risking a direct confrontation with Russian forces stationed in the country.
In an interview Tuesday night ahead of Trump's series of tweets--which insisted that poor relations between Russia and the U.S. are largely due to special counsel Robert Mueller's collusion probe--Russian ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin warned that any U.S. missiles fired at Syria will be "downed" along with "the sources from which the missiles were fired."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
As fears of a possible direct conflict between Russia and the United States mounted after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Moscow to "get ready" for missiles that "will be coming" at Syria in a series of tweets, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said in an interview Wednesday morning that a clash between the two nuclear powers in Syria could have devastating consequences across the Middle East.
"Just one spark may set the entire region on fire and open the door for the conflict."
--Nurettin Canikli, Turkish Defense Minister"Just one spark may set the entire region on fire and open the door for the conflict," Canikli said in an interview on 24TV, a Turkish news broadcast.
"If an attack occurs against the forces [in Syria] backed by Russia or there is an attack by the U.S.-supported forces, Russia won't be able to stay away, otherwise it will lose its influence. So, serious clashes may start," Canikli added, urging the U.S., Russian, and Syrian governments to "act with restraint."
The Turkish defense minister's stark warning comes on the heels of several early morning tweets by Trump that intensified concerns that the U.S. is preparing to launch a military attack on Syria, risking a direct confrontation with Russian forces stationed in the country.
In an interview Tuesday night ahead of Trump's series of tweets--which insisted that poor relations between Russia and the U.S. are largely due to special counsel Robert Mueller's collusion probe--Russian ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin warned that any U.S. missiles fired at Syria will be "downed" along with "the sources from which the missiles were fired."
As fears of a possible direct conflict between Russia and the United States mounted after U.S. President Donald Trump warned Moscow to "get ready" for missiles that "will be coming" at Syria in a series of tweets, Turkish Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli said in an interview Wednesday morning that a clash between the two nuclear powers in Syria could have devastating consequences across the Middle East.
"Just one spark may set the entire region on fire and open the door for the conflict."
--Nurettin Canikli, Turkish Defense Minister"Just one spark may set the entire region on fire and open the door for the conflict," Canikli said in an interview on 24TV, a Turkish news broadcast.
"If an attack occurs against the forces [in Syria] backed by Russia or there is an attack by the U.S.-supported forces, Russia won't be able to stay away, otherwise it will lose its influence. So, serious clashes may start," Canikli added, urging the U.S., Russian, and Syrian governments to "act with restraint."
The Turkish defense minister's stark warning comes on the heels of several early morning tweets by Trump that intensified concerns that the U.S. is preparing to launch a military attack on Syria, risking a direct confrontation with Russian forces stationed in the country.
In an interview Tuesday night ahead of Trump's series of tweets--which insisted that poor relations between Russia and the U.S. are largely due to special counsel Robert Mueller's collusion probe--Russian ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin warned that any U.S. missiles fired at Syria will be "downed" along with "the sources from which the missiles were fired."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.