Wed 11 March 2020:
Turkey will do more than a mere retaliation if its observation posts in Syria’s Idlib are targeted, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
“Turkey will do more than mere retaliation if its observation posts in Idlib are targeted,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party deputies’ meeting in the capital Ankara.
“We will stand against both the terror group [YPG/PKK] and sectarian regime forces,” he said, adding that Turkey will not get caught in another vicious cycle of terror that has claimed tens of thousands of lives in Turkey already.
He went onto say that Turkey does not aim to occupy or annex any territory of Syria or fight any power in the region, but only seeks to ensure the security of its territories and protect millions of people in Idlib who lived under the threat of massacres.
Erdogan said that in its operation in northwestern Syria, Operation Spring Shield, Turkey had the chance to test the capabilities of its defense industry, including armed drones, voicing his confidence that Turkey is ready to fight greater threats.
Turkey launched Operation Spring Shield on Feb. 27 in the region after at least 34 Turkish soldiers were martyred in an Assad regime airstrike in Idlib, and after repeated violations of previous cease-fires.
Under a 2018 deal with Russia, the Turkish troops were in Idlib to protect civilians from attacks by the regime and terrorist groups.
Erdogan said last week’s cease-fire in Idlib was achieved following Turkey’s military campaign there, giving Idlib residents the opportunity to live free of threats, adding that Turkey is closely watching developments on the ground.
“We are closely monitoring the deployment of the Assad regime and allied militants near the cease-fire lines,” he said, stressing that Turkey will abide by the cease-fire deal so long as the Assad regime and its allies do the same.
Under the cease-fire deal in Idlib, located just south of the Turkish border, all military activities are to end there, along with the establishment of a security corridor 6 kilometers (3.7 miles) to the north and south of the key M4 highway.
Joint Turkish-Russian patrols will also begin on March 15 along the highway from the settlement of Trumba – 2 km (1.2 miles) to the west of Saraqib – to the settlement of Ain al-Havr, under the deal.
Erdogan said a permanent solution to the Syria crisis should be in line with the country’s territorial integrity, but this is not possible while one-third of the country is occupied by the terrorist YPG/PKK.
“I believe Syria will enter [a period of] stability with a new constitution and free elections,” he said. “With our full strength and sincerity, we will support every step [in Syria].”
-Source: Anadolu Agency
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