Turkey says AANES upcoming elections threaten “national security”
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkey said on Thursday that the upcoming municipal elections organized by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) threaten its “national security.”
“Turkey will never allow the separatist organization to establish (a terror state) just beyond its southern borders in the north of Syria and Iraq,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after observing military exercises in western Turkey.
He described the municipal elections of the AANES as “aggressive actions against the territorial integrity of Turkey and Syria under the pretext of a referendum.”
The AANES had announced the launch of the municipal elections in its areas in north and northeast Syria on June 11 and called on international organizations to participate in monitoring the elections.