Syria's UN Ambassador, Bashadr Ja'afari, has said that his government "is not seeking any escalation with any of its neighbours, including Turkey." The envoy made the remarks to the media following an incident in which artillery shelling fired from Syria killed five Turkish civilians in the Sanliurfa province of Turkey.

Ja'afari read a letter he had given to the president of the UN Security Council, calling for cooperation from the Turkish government "within the framework of respecting national sovereignty and good neighbourly relations."

The letter offered its "deepest condolences" to the people of Turkey and said it was still investigating the incident.

The Syrian envoy said his country has a keen interest in maintaining good relations with Turkey, asking for their assistance in combating terrorist groups and armed groups infiltrating through the two countris' borders.