Turkey and Russia agree to keep Syrian Kurdish forces (PYG) 30 km away from Turkish border
Ankara … News Time
Turkey has warned that if violations of the ‘safe zone’ peace deal with Syria’s north-west continue, Ankara will begin implementing Plan B (Action). According to the Al Jazeera report, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that if the agreement was violated, we have Plan B and Plan C. The Turkish Defense Minister made it clear that we say at every opportunity not to force us otherwise our Plan B and Plan C are ready. He went on to explain the details of Plan B and C, but cited Ankara’s military action in 2016. The Turkish Defense Minister said that according to the agreement, our checkpoints will remain here; even if there is a hurdle, we have clearly said that we will do whatever is necessary. It should be noted that Turkey has established 12 posts in Aleppo as part of its 2018 agreement with Russia. Turkish security sources said three of these posts were surrounded by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government forces this week. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Damascus to withdraw from the checkpoints later this month that if they do not, Ankara (through military action) will send them back. He also called on Russia to persuade the Syrian government to halt the ongoing operation.
It is to be noted that the agreement between Turkey and Russia to keep Syrian Kurdish forces (PYG) 30 km from the Turkish border was reached. Under the agreement, the forces of the two countries will jointly patrol in the ‘safe zone’. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on the deal that it would end the bloodshed in the region.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the other hand, criticized the western states and accused the militants of cooperating with the terrorists for not cooperating with Turkish operations in Syria. Ankara believes that the YPG is a sub-terrorist organization of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been trying to revolt in Turkey since 1984. Ankara, the PKK, has been designated a blacklisted terrorist organization by the US and EU. Military action against Ankara’s Kurdish forces has been widely criticized internationally and NATO countries have suspended the sale of new weapons. NATO Secretary-General Janssen Stoltenberg has repeatedly expressed “deep concern” over the operation that began on October 9 to push Syrian Kurdish forces back to the border.
