Ankara: Travel advisories to Turkey related to int'l motives
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The Turkish Foreign Ministry's spokesperson says Turkey continues to fight terrorism.
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Turkey's Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Turkey's Foreign Ministry has said that travel advisories issued by some countries regarding their citizens in Turkey are considered "to be related to different international developments and motives," hinting at them being political in nature.
Tanju Bilgic, the Turkish MFA's spokesperson, said on Tuesday that some countries have issued travel advisories for their citizens, saying that Turkey is a "safe country" that continues "to fight terrorism most effectively."
Bilgic also added that Turkey is fighting "against terrorism without any discrimination among terror groups," and that Ankara is contributing to the security of the international community.
In the meantime, Turkish troops have taken combat formation and are all set to start Ankara's fifth military operation on the northern Syrian border, which Turkey claims to target the Kurdistan Workers' Party and its military wing, the YPG, local media reported on Tuesday.
The Turkish occupation soldiers have already conducted four military operations in Syria since 2016, with the latest announced in late May.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on May 23 that the Turkish army intends to carry out military operations to "combat terrorism" at the Turkish state borders, explaining that his government "will start taking new steps to complete the safe zone 30 km north of Syria."
Turkey's cross-border operation into Syria was reported as likely to kick off this week, with Ankara continuing to amass troops near the border and into the Tell Rifaat and Manbij region.
Ankara has also occupied territories in northern Iraq, under the pretense of fighting PKK militants in the region.
On the diplomatic end of things, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said it was following up on "the aggressive statements of the Turkish regime regarding the establishment of the so-called 'safe zone' in northern Syria and the repeated and continuous attacks on Syrian territory, which have claimed the lives of a number of innocent citizens."
The source added that the Turkish statements also contradict the understanding of the "Astana process and its outcomes," saying that Ankara's aggressive threats constituted "a blatant violation of international law and the country's territorial unity and safety."
