Erdoğan cancels key visit to Syrian refugee camps

Erdoğan was expected to travel on Sunday to Hatay, where thousands of Syrian refugees who fled violence in their country live in camps. He also canceled a planned visit to the northwestern province of Bursa scheduled for Saturday, Anatolia said.

The news of the cancellation of the two visits came after Erdoğan's mother, who was 83, passed away on Friday. Tenzile Erdoğan died in a hospital in İstanbul days after a gall bladder operation. Her funeral is scheduled to take place in İstanbul on Saturday.

It is not immediately clear if the prime minister's visit to Hatay will be rescheduled. Erdoğan had earlier said Turkey would announce a roadmap on sanctions to be imposed against Syria after his visit to refugee camps in Hatay. A UN resolution warning Syria of sanctions was vetoed at the UN Security Council this week, but Erdoğan said Turkey would go ahead with its planned sanctions despite a setback in the UN Security Council.