Moscow, Ankara May Coordinate Operation in Syria’s Afrin

TEHRAN (defapress)- Ankara will coordinate its operation in Northern Syria’s Afrin region with Russia in advance if it decides to conduct it, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday.

News ID: 67429

Date: 12 December 2017 - 14:55

"Threats for Turkey are coming from Afrin. We may enter this region without a warning," Cavusoglu told NTV tv channel, adding, "If we carry out the operation there, we will agree on all its aspects with our allies, including Russia."

"Now they are not posing any threats to us," he said, adding that the major threat comes from the Kurds of the Democratic Union Party and the People's Protection Units.

On November 28, Turkey’s National Security Council said setting up observation posts in Afrin following the example of the de-escalation zone in Idlib would help achieve peace and stability in Northern Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier said Afrin is a crucial region for Ankara as it poses threat to Turkey’s national security. Erdogan's spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, stressed that Turkey was ready to carry out an operation against the Kurds from the People's Protection Units in Afrin.