The Turkish president on Monday hinted at a possible new cross-border operation to clear the PKK terrorist organization from its border with Syria.
”We will continue our fight against terrorism. Our decision to establish a 30-kilometer-deep (18.6-mile) secure line along our southern border is permanent,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an address to Turkish diplomats attending the 13th Ambassadors Conference in the capital Ankara.
”I hope we will join the parts of this security zone together soon by clearing the last areas where the terrorist organization is nesting in Syria,” he added.
Erdogan said Türkiye showed the whole world that there is ”no room for terrorism” in Türkiye’s future.
Since 2016, Ankara has launched a trio of successful anti-terror operations across its border in northern Syria to prevent the formation of a terror corridor and enable the peaceful settlement of residents: Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018), and Peace Spring (2019). […]
Erdogan reiterated that Türkiye will not take a positive attitude toward the NATO membership bids of Sweden and Finland unless they meet their promises on the fight against terrorism.
”We maintain a clear firm position on Finland and Sweden. The NATO membership of these two countries will not be approved until the promises made to our country are fulfilled,” he said. Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in June, a decision spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine. But Türkiye, a member of NATO for over 70 years, voiced objections to the membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting terror groups. Läs artikel