Turkish Presidency: We are not waiting for anyone’s consent to carry out the military operation in northern Syria

The Turkish Presidency’s Director of Communications, Fahrettin Altun, revealed yesterday that his country is to decide when to launch the military operation against the “terrorist” organizations in Syria as it described them.

Altun said in an interview with the Norwegian “Aftenposten” newspaper that his country does not wait for anyone’s consent to launch the military operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria, pointing out that holding negotiations between the countries concerned with the Syrian file does not mean waiting for their permission.

Altun responded to the question of the possibility of launching the military operation without Russia’s consent and support, saying that his country attaches importance to the nature of its relations with Moscow which are realistic, and the two countries have different views concerning many issues. He added it is normal that the two states do not agree on different issues in Syria and how to solve them. However, the relation between the two states remains deep-rooted.

Altun made it clear in responding to the question about when to launch the military operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria that SDF use areas under their control to launch attacks against the Turkish forces and civilians in areas under the protection of the Turkish forces.

Altun confirmed that his country attaches great importance to protect its people and national security from any threats coming from Syria, confirming that setting the date for launching the military operation there is in Ankara and not elsewhere.
Altun considered that fighting the “terrorist” organizations in the region is a common denominator for countries seeking to achieve peace and stability. He also said that his country under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become a country working to achieve its interests.

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a few days ago said again that his country intends to continue its operations until the establishment of a 30 kilometers-deep “safe” zone in northern Syria.

He explained that Turkey still bears the consequences of the presence of “terrorist” organizations near its southern borders.