The Turkish prime minister noted in the interview that it is necessary to create “an area where civilians can stay without any fear of being attacked and killed" in Syria.
“If there was a no-fly zone and a safe haven inside Syria, there wouldn’t be such a flow [of migrants to the EU countries],” Davutoglu said.
To date, Turkey is home to the largest contingent of Syrian refugees in the world, and has reportedly spent $6 billion on helping these migrants. Turkey has also repeatedly blamed the European Union for not doing enough to help refugees fleeing conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with the government battling several insurgent groups, including the Nusra Front and the Islamic State. More than 220,000 people have died and millions have been displaced as a result of the long-standing military violence in the country, according to the UN.
