Erdogan: Turkey is committed to destroying PKK
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The Turkish President says no one will be able to force Turkey into any position against its own interests in political, diplomatic, economic, and military terms.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan underlined on Monday that Turkey is committed to destroying the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) "until its last militant is neutralized."
Erdogan said Turkey's determination to establish a 30-kilometer-deep (18.6-mile) security strip next to its borders continues, claiming that it is something previously sought to do with US and Russian cooperation on its southern border.
"We do not need to get permission from anyone while taking steps concerning the security of our homeland and our people, and we will not be held accountable to anyone," he stressed.
The Turkish President said no one will be able to force Turkey into any position against its own interests in political, diplomatic, economic, and military terms through what he called "empty threats".
He also claimed that no side should be disturbed by Ankara's offensives aimed at "expanding the circle of security and peace."
"We do not have to tolerate the hypocrisy of those who support registered terrorist groups with naming-change games," he said, adding that it is unacceptable for a number of countries to support PKK militants in northern Syria.
On November 20, Turkish Minister of Defense, Hulusi Akar, announced that Turkey has launched the "Operation Claw-Sword" offensive with airstrikes targeting Kurdish militants in both Iraq and Syria.
Erdogan had signaled the possibility of ground forces participating in the Turkish offensive.
It is noteworthy that the US Department of Defense had expressed concern over the recent uptick in military activity in northern Syria, Iraq, and Turkey, citing the danger they pose to efforts to defeat ISIS.
Senior Russian negotiator Alexander Lavrentyev also said Russia has asked Turkey to refrain from a full-scale ground offensive in Syria because such actions could trigger an escalation of violence.
Commander of Russian forces in Syria meets SDF leader
In the same context, Al Mayadeen sources revealed that the commander of the Russian forces in Syria, Alexander Chayko, visited the northeastern province of Al-Hasakah on Sunday and met with the leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi.
Al Mayadeen sources highlighted that the meeting "discussed the Turkish threats to launch a ground operation and ways to take measures to prevent the operation from taking place," indicating that Chayko "reintroduced the idea of ​​the deployment of the Syrian army along the border strip, at a depth of 30 km."
Read more: SDF announce halting operations against ISIS after Turkish attacks
