Turkey affirms support to Tunisia

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Tuesday his country was determined to supporting Tunisia in all domains. Davutoglu, in a statement to reporters after his meeting with his Tunisian counterpart Munji Hamedi, praised the democratic achievements in Tunisia. "Tunisia does not need lessons in democracy from other countries or from the international community," he said, thanks to the "wise" political leaders. Davutoglu meanwhile said Turkey would not allow any person from any nationality to enter Syria from Turkish territories "and will crack down on these operations if they happen." He called on the other countries to share intelligence information with Turkey over recruitment in Syria. Davutoglu said the Syrians were responsible for determining the future of their country, and all foreigners inside the troubled country should leave Syria. Hamedi thanked Turkey for supporting the Tunisian economy, the latest of which was a USD 200 million loan last week. He said the loan was part of USD 500 million package pledged by Turkey. Tunisia, he said, sought to boost cooperation with Turkey in economic, trade, tourism and director investment domains. Davutoglu arrived in Tunis earlier today for talks with senior government and parliamentary officials, as well as representatives of civil society organizations.