Erdoğan: Our consistent attitude regarding Idlib and Manbij remains so
Erdoğan: Our consistent attitude regarding Idlib and Manbij remains so
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday that Turkey will continue its “talks on Syria, Idlib, Minbij and East Euphrates,” stressing that Turkey’s positions are “consistent and will remain so”.
Erdogan criticized the US support for the Syrian Democratic Forces SDF while refusing to sell arms to Turkey.
Erdogan’s statement came in an interview after Eid al-Fitr prayer in Istanbul, wishing “bombing civilians with explosive barrel bombs in Idlib” to stop, and “deplored the fact of the ongoing events”.
Erdogan expressed “his personal readiness” to discuss “in any emergency concerning Idlib”, with the US president Donald Trump and the Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin said on Monday that the Russian-Syrian move in Idlib was a “justified move” and carried Turkey the responsibility of stopping the bombing in the region, as the Kremlin responded to Trump’s tweet on stopping the bombing of “Russia, the Syrian government forces and the Iranians” on Idlib.
Erdoğan said in a speech on Tuesday morning, “his country is committed to the deal of purchasing the S-400 missile system without any retreat,” in light of statements exchanged between the States concerned with the events in Syria.
Furthermore, he declared a Turkish offer to purchase the Patriot missile system in the event of “the arrival of an American offer similar to the Russian offer on the S-400 missiles,” denying the existence of “an American offer so far”.
Russia has recently submitted the delivery date of the S-400 missile system to Turkey as in July 2019, instead of March 2020.
While the American Patriot missile system is a US-type air-to-air missile defense system using advanced interceptor missile systems with highly efficient radar systems.
NPA