Turkish PM: Turks are not joining ISIS en mass

Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu speaks to the media during a press conference after a meeting with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of ethnically divided Cyprus on Tuesday, Sept.16, 2014. Turkey’s new prime minister strongly rejected Western media reports that many of his fellow countrymen are swelling the ranks of the Islamic State group. Davutoglu says there’s many more Europeans signing up with the extremist group than there are Turks. Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. A Turkish Cypriot Declaration of Independence is recognized only by Turkey which maintains 35,000 troops there. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) (The Associated Press)

Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, center, and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu, second left, walk surrounded by the security after a meeting in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of ethnically divided Cyprus on Tuesday, Sept.16, 2014. Turkey’s new prime minister strongly rejected Western media reports that many of his fellow countrymen are swelling the ranks of the Islamic State group. Davutoglu says there’s many more Europeans signing up with the extremist group than there are Turks. Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup by supporters of union with Greece. A Turkish Cypriot Declaration of Independence is recognized only by Turkey which maintains 35,000 troops there. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias) (The Associated Press)

Turkey's new prime minister strongly rejected Western media reports that many of his fellow countrymen are swelling the ranks of the Islamic State group.

Ahmet Davutoglu says there are many more people from other European countries signing up with the extremist group than there are Turks.

He said Tuesday that Turkey is doing all it can to stem the flow of potential Islamic State recruits.

Davutoglu said at a Cyprus press conference he has asked European countries for closer cooperation to stem the flow of foreign fighters into Syria.

But he said Turkey's border with Syria remains open to accommodate hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing the fighting there.

He blamed the Syrian regime's "massacres" and the slow international response to the conflict for giving rise to groups like IS.