Turkey's possible Syria operation unrelated to US withdrawal
ARK News: Turkish foreign minister says President Erdogan announced expected operation east of Euphrates well before US decision
Turkey's expected counter operation east of the Euphrates River in Syria is not related to the U.S. withdrawal from the country, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Thursday.
"Our operation against the Popular Protection Units /YPG/ is not related to whether the U.S. withdraws or not," Cavusoglu told news channel NTV.
Cavusoglu pointed out that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's announcement that an operation was coming came well before U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise decision last month to pull out U.S. troops out of Syria.
"We didn’t know that the U.S. would withdraw from Syria. However, whether it withdraws or not, we will do what is necessary against the Democratic Union Party /PYD/ that poses a threat to our national security," he added.
On Dec. 12, Erdogan announced that a Turkish operation was imminent to save the region from the PYD, also known as the YPG.
Later, the president decided to delay the operation, but Erdogan has repeatedly said that Turkey is ready to take action very soon to eliminate the radical groups in northern Syria.
"Turkey is determined on this issue," Cavusoglu said, adding that Turkey will decide on its timeline for the operation.
"We will not seek permission from anyone on this issue," he added.
Ankara has criticized the U.S. working with the PYD to fight Da’esh, saying that using one terror group to fight another makes no sense.
Over the last week, top U.S. officials said that American troops would not withdraw from northeastern Syria without a guarantee that Turkey would not attack “Kurds” there, meaning the PYD. Turkish officials condemned the remarks.
Cavusoglu also said Erdogan will have a bilateral meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
He added that Turkish, Russian, and Iranian leaders will also meet to discuss Syria under the Astana format, saying that Moscow will propose a timeline for the meeting.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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