Iran Press/ Asia: In an interview with the Turkish broadcaster Kanal 7 on Sunday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavu?o?lu said that Ankara expects YPG Kurdish militants to be removed from areas where the Syrian government has recently been deployed.
He added that Turkey and Russia will exchange views on the removal of the YPG militants from the northern Syrian cities of Manbij and Ayn al-Arab, also called Kobani, during talks in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi next week.
On Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he would discuss the Syrian government forces' deployment to the 'safe zone' during talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi.
He, however, warned that Ankara would implement its own plans if a solution were not reached, adding that Turkey would crush the heads of Kurdish militants in northern Syria if they did not withdraw during the truce period.
Turkey launched the offensive on October 9 with the aim of purging the northern Syrian regions near its border of Kurdish fighters, whom it views as terrorists linked to local autonomy-seeking militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The incursion came after the US abruptly pulled its forces out of the region, clearing the path for Turkey to go ahead with a planned military action against Washington’s longtime Kurdish allies.
Related news:
Turkey begins its military offensive into Syria
Ankara on Thursday agreed to pause its incursion into Syria for 120 hours while the US facilitates the withdrawal of Kurdish SDF fighters from a 20-mile safe zone along the Syrian-Turkish border.
Related News:
US, Turkey agree to ceasefire in Syria
The ceasefire will expire on Tuesday. However, sporadic clashes have continued and each side has blamed the other for violating the truce.
207/211/214
Read More:
Turkish FM: Agreement with US is a pause in Turkey's operation
