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Turkey keen to improve relations with neighbors: PM

Xinhua, July 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

Turkey will continue to improve relations with its neighbors, including Syria and Egypt, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Tuesday.

"There are not many reasons for us to fight with Iraq, Syria, Egypt and countries in all regions. But there are many reasons to carry relations forward," Yildirim was quoted by Hurriyet News as saying at a meeting of his Justice and Development Party's (AKP) in Ankara.

Yildirim stressed that Turkey has recently moved to normalize strained ties with Russia and Israel, and that Ankara "regards all countries as friends."

"We will increase our friendships and decrease enmities. We will also increase our friendships within the country. We will refrain from meaningless and empty discourse. From now on, we will improve our friendships with all countries surrounding the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. We will keep our disagreements at a minimum," he vowed.

However, the premier maintained that Turkey was right to down the Russian jet in November last year over border violations, which led to the breakdown in relations between Ankara and Moscow. Endit