Turkish minister calls on Russia to stop helping the killing machine

Turkish Minister for EU affairs, Egemen Bagis Wednesday said the head of the Syrian regime Bashar Al-Assad is on his way out and called on Russia to stop giving him arms. "On average 150 people are being killed by their own government every single day in Syria and the international community does not act as decisively as it should," he said speaking in Brussels at an event organised by the think tank European Policy Centre. "Turkey is the first country in the Islamic world which said Assad has to go as we previously said Mubarak and Gaddafi have to go. The two have gone and now the third is on his way out," said Bagis. "No leader who kills his own people, no leader who bombs his own cities can stay," he stressed. He welcomed the Syrian opposition's decision to establish a government and unite against the "tyranny of Assad." "But we have to convince President Putin to stop supporting the killing machine in Syria," he underlined. Bagis suggested that Turkey was the "source of inspiration" for the Arab Spring. Turning to the issue of Turkey's membership in the EU, he asked whether Europe which is facing deep economic problems is still interested in Turkey or not. He said 50 percent of the Turkish population is in favour of Turkey's EU membership but only 25 percent think Turkey will ever become an EU member. Bagis also expressed concern over the rising Islamophobia and discrimination in Europe. "We see more and more examples of discrimination (in Europe) and we have to discuss this issue all together," he said. Bagis said the election of the new President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades "opens a new window of opportunity" to solve the Cyprus problem.