Turkey Calls for Political Settlement of US-North Korea Crisis

Turkey wants the United States and North Korea to prevent a military conflict and calls on both countries to settle the crisis in their relations by peaceful means, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Friday.

ANKARA (Sputnik) – North Korea said on Wednesday that it was considering a missile attack near the US island of Guam, which hosts several US military bases after President Donald Trump threatened Pyongyang with "fire and fury" over its recurring missile tests. 

"We do not want the crisis between the United States and North Korea to result in a military conflict as it will have an impact not only on these two countries. We call for the political settlement of this crisis," Erdogan said.

The tensions around North Korea have been high over the recent months and they have escalated further after the tightening of the economic sanctions against North Korea by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Saturday in response to July's launches of ballistic missiles by Pyongyang.

The move prompted harsh criticism from Pyongyang which subsequently vowed to use any means possible to retaliate against the United States after the UNSC approved the new US-drafted sanctions. US President Donald Trump in turn, warned, that North Korea’s possible actions would be met with "fire and fury" from the United States. Following the statement, Pyongyang said is considered an attack near the Pacific island of Guam where several US military bases were located.