Turkish Ambassador to Korea Arslan Hakan Okcal urged international cooperation on eradicating extremist groups in the Middle East and assured that Turkey remains a safe destination for international travelers.

In a press conference at the Turkish Embassy in Seoul, Okcal stressed that his country suffered the consequences of the crimes committed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an extremist Sunni-jihadist group occupying parts of Iraq and Syria.

“As Turkey shares 1,295 km borders with Syria and Iraq, any threat emanating from this region has serious implications for our domestic and international politics and economy,” Okcal said. “ISIL is a prime threat and common enemy of the international community. Air operations against ISIL must continue.”

The United Nations and Amnesty International have reported that the group’s human rights abuses include ethnic cleansing on a “historic scale.”

Okcal said that air strikes alone could not eradicate extremism. There is a need for a “more holistic and comprehensive strategy” that addresses the root causes. “ISIL has been effective due to the air support it receives from the Bashar al-Assad regime,” Okcal said.

Okcal emphasized that the “threats, risks and dangers” emanating from Syria cannot be stopped as long as the brutal regime is in power. By continuing to cold-shoulder democratic reforms and indiscriminately attacking civilian populations, the regime sustains the life of barbaric terrorist organizations, Okcal said.

“Unfortunately, Turkey’s calls against ISIL’s advancement toward Turkoman settlements a few months ago fell on deaf ears,” Okcal said. “Turkey calls for international coalition to eradicate global enemy No. 1 ― the ISIL.”

Okcal said that the Turkish government would not deploy troops on its own, but will participate in an international alliance led by the United States.

Over 1.5 million Syrian refugees have entered Turkish territory in the last three years and the Turkish government spent over $4.5 billion in relief efforts. “Ahead of the coming winter season, Turkey calls on greater international support for the refugee relief efforts,” Okcal said.

The ambassador stressed that Turkey had maintained an “open door policy” to accept refugees from all backgrounds and religions. Turkey has received over 200,000 Syrian-Kurdish refugees in recent weeks, as well as waves of Yezidi and Turkoman refugees from Iraq, Okcal noted.

“Establishing the ‘no fly zones’ remains Turkey’s priority as it helps resettling the displaced Syrian refugees inside Syria,” he said, noting that Turkish borders need to be secured to protect its civilian populations.

“As the crux of this matter is about an extremist group disguising its goals under the mask of religion, the public should not develop prejudice against Islam,” Okcal emphasized. “The Turkish religious ministry also addressed that the ISIL should not be called the ‘Islamic State’ as it has nothing to do with the values and principles of Islam.”

The ambassador said that Turkey’s tourism industry, despite being impacted by the ongoing crisis, was robust and secure. In 2013, Turkey hosted over 40 million tourists, and over 42 million are projected to travel to the country this year.

More than 187,000 Koreans visited Turkey last year, and the number is expected to reach 250,000 this year alone. Korean tourists are permitted to stay in Turkey up to 90 days without a visa.

The Turkish government upgraded its e-visa platform in an effort to streamline the immigration process without need to visit the embassy. In addition to English, French and Spanish, other languages such as Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, German, Arabic and Chinese have been added.

By Joel Lee (joel@heraldcorp.com)