Foreign Minister Westerwelle on the Syrian mortar hit on a Turkish town

The Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has just informed me about the present situation. I conveyed our heartfelt condolences for the lives lost and injuries sustained today as a result of a mortar bomb launched from Syria.

We condemn this violence in the strongest terms. We call on the Syrian Government to apologize for this act of violence, to hold those responsible to account and to compensate the victims’ families. Our profound sympathy goes out to the families of the victims; our best wishes for a speedy recovery go to all those who were injured.

We are very concerned. This renewed violation of Turkey’s territorial integrity from across the Syrian border is a serious issue. In my conversation with Foreign Minister Davutoğlu, I expressed my outrage at this act of violence and its awful consequences.

I also asked Mr Davutoğlu to respond level-headedly, bearing in mind the critical nature of the situation for the entire region, however understandable such feelings of outrage may be.