By Sena Guler
ANKARA (AA) – Turkey is determined to turn its attention and energy the east of the Euphrates, rather than lingering in Manbij, the president said Friday.
“Turkey is being threatened through a terror group [YPG/PKK] on the east of the Euphrates. We don’t threat anyone and we won’t let anyone do things that threaten us right beside our borders,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
The president made his remarks in a meeting with the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party’s provincial heads in Ankara.
Erdogan also said Turkey dissolved a terror corridor threatening its Syria border and any new formation would be “unacceptable”.
“There are our red lines,” he added.
On the Idlib deal between Turkey and Russia, Erdogan said no problems were observed in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib since then.
“There is peace in the region,” he added.
After a Sept. 17 meeting in Sochi between Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, the two sides agreed to set up a demilitarized zone — in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited — in Idlib.
According to the terms of the deal, opposition groups in Idlib will remain in areas in which they are already present, while Russia and Turkey will conduct joint patrols in the area with a view to preventing a resumption of fighting.
