ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey said it was closing its embassy in Damascus and recalling its ambassador to Syria because of the security situation in the country.
A brief statement posted on the embassy’s website late Sunday said, however, that the Turkey’s consulate in Aleppo will remain open.
A ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with ministry regulations said Monday the embassy was being closed due to the security situation in Syria. The Turkish ambassador and other diplomats would be returning to Turkey.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has recently said that Turkey was on a brink of breaking diplomatic ties with Syria and withdrawing its ambassador.
The UN says more than 8,000 people have been killed since Syria’s President Bashar Assad launched a crackdown on the opposition a year ago.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
