Turkey will decide Syrian operation – Turkish presidential
IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Director of Turkey’s Presidential Communications Fahrettin Altun said on Saturday, it is Turkey that decides when to carry out its military operation into Syria.
In a statement to the Norwegian Aftenposten newspaper Altun said: “No step that Turkey will take is subject to anyone’s permission or consent.”
On July 1, Erdogan said that Ankara’s new military operation in northern Syria could begin at any moment.
“The time has come to clear these lands from the terrorist organizations,” Erdogan threatened during Tehran Summit.
He has recently announced plans to carry out another major military cross-border incursion into northern Syria. Erdogan specified his targets in the two northern Syrian cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat.
Regarding any possibility of a Turkish operation without the permission of Russia, Altun said, “Turkish-Russian relations have a deep-rooted history and are also extremely realistic.”
“There may be different approaches in the Syria file about the nature of the crisis on the ground and the possible way out. We believe that stability is the common denominator of all states,” he added.
Statements of Turkish officials on the long-awaited Turkish military operation into north Syria coincide with much artillery and drone escalation against the region claiming lives of civilians, many of them are children and women.
“Of course, some exchanges of ideas between the relevant states However, at the end of the day, no step that Turkey will take is subject to anyone’s permission or consent,” he noted.