Foreign Ministry condemns exploitation of Kayseri incident amid Syria tensions

The Foreign Ministry has stated that exploiting the incidents in Türkiye’s central province for provocations in Syria is wrong, amid rising tensions between the two countries over the sexual abuse of a Syrian minor by a Syrian national.

In an official statement, the ministry warned against provocations, emphasizing that the unfortunate events in Kayseri should not be used to fuel further unrest across the border.

It is wrong to use the unfortunate events in Kayseri, following a crime for which our state’s judicial processes are in motion, as material for provocations beyond our borders. Türkiye’s efforts and principled stance for the well-being of the Syrian people stand above any kind of provocation

Foreign Ministry

Riots erupted in Kayseri province over the sexual abuse of a Syrian child by a Syrian man. An angry mob stormed several neighborhoods in Kayseri’s Melikgazi district early on Monday after 26-year-old I.A., identified only by his initials, was caught sexually abusing M.A., the 7-year-old daughter of his uncle, in a public restroom.

The crowd, seeking the suspected abuser, set fire to shops and stoned the homes of foreigners in the district. Police intervened with tear gas, resulting in injuries to 14 officers and a firefighter as they struggled to disperse the crowd.

Meanwhile, across the border in Syria, in areas liberated from Daesh and PKK/YPG terrorists, a group of people desecrated the Turkish flag and attacked trucks coming from Türkiye.