ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has called for a no-fly zone over northern Syria in order to protect civilians from both Islamic State and Syrian government forces, in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday.
Davutoglu said he is willing to continue working with the US to establish a safe area for refugees and displaced families affected by the war and the conflict in Syria.
Turkey is home to 1.8 million Syrian refugees, more than any country, according to recent UN figures.
Davutoglu called on the international community to implement deeper plans to resolve the conflict in Syria, and denied that Turkey has offered any help to the Islamic State organization.
He criticized the five members of the UN Security Council for failing to take a strong stand regarding the conflict in Syria.
"It is the responsibility of the international community to prevent large numbers of migrants reaching Europe through Turkey," Davutoglu told the BBC.
Although he did not rule out the use of Turkish ground troops, Davutoglu said he preferred to strengthen Syria's moderate opposition.
"If there is enough power of moderate forces in Syria, there will not be any necessity for other countries, including Turkey, to send any ground troops," he said
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