Posted 31.05.2012 07:46:44 UTC
Updated 31.05.2012 07:55:40 UTC
Syrian diplomats will be expelled from the Syrian Embassy in Ankara.
Syrian chargé d'affaires was summoned to the Turkish Foreign Ministry in Ankara.
Deputy Undersecretary Ambassador Halit Çevik notified Turkey's decision to the Syrian diplomat.
Foreign Ministry said it ordered the Syrian charge d'affaires and other diplomats at the Syrian embassy in Ankara to leave the country within 72 hours.
The Statement said "It is out of the question for us to remain silent and not respond to this action, which constitutes a crime against humanity".
Syria's charge d'affaires was summoned to the Turkish foreign ministry and was notified of the government's decision.
The consulate in Istanbul will remain open for consular duties only.
The Foreign Ministry said it also reduced the number of its personnel in the consulate in Aleppo, Syria.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said new unspecified sanctions might be imposed against Syria in the coming days.
Erdoğan said "The world "cannot remain silent in the face of such a situation. We cannot remain silent. Staying quite, giving consent to cruelty is also cruelty. Those who stayed close to the Syrian regime would not be able to continue. It would be self-denial. Nobody could tolerate that."
Asked if Turkey was considering a "buffer zone" on Turkish-Syrian border, Erdoğan said the Turkish government had not yet made any decision on the issue. "That is a step we could take depending on future developments," he said.