Agencies-Gaza post
Erdogan calls on Russia, Iran to support Syria
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday (July 19) to the leaders of Russia and Iran that he expected their full support in Ankara’s fight against “terrorists” in Syria.
Erdogan’s remarks came during a summit in Tehran in the so-called Astana formula, after weeks of warnings that Turkey could soon launch a new military incursion into the country’s war-torn northern border areas.
Moscow and Tehran support the Damascus government in the Syrian conflict, while Ankara supports Syrian rebels.
Both Russia and Iran have military presence in parts of Syria mentioned as potential targets of Turkey’s new offensive.
Erdogan accuses the banned Kurdish militants of using the border area as a starting point for their decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.
“What we expect from Russia and Iran is their support for Turkey in its fight against terrorism,” Erdogan said in televised remarks.
Erdogan noted that Turkey had concluded an agreement with Moscow and Washington in 2019 under which the two countries were supposed to help push banned Kurdish militants within 30 kilometers (19 miles) of the Syrian-Turkish border.
Erdogan said, “This hasn’t happened yet.” “It’s long overdue.”
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had earlier told Erdogan that Turkey’s new offensive would be “detrimental” to the region.
Washington and Moscow also urged Turkey to exercise restraint.
Previous Turkish campaigns targeted the Syrian branches of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
Ankara, Washington and the European Union ban the PKK as a “terrorist” organization.
However, the PKK’s Syrian branch played a central role in the US-led campaign against the Islamic State in Syria.
“We must clearly understand that there is no room in our region’s future for separatist terrorist organizations,” Erdogan said.
