Move FM Global News

ANKARA, Turkey – The Turkish vice president on Friday said his country now controlled 120 kilometres of the Syrian-Turkish border east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria.

Fuat Oktay said his country had the right to secure its border, and would continue to do so

The vice president was speaking at the 21st World Congress of Russian Press in the capital Ankara on Friday.

Turkey launched its offensive named Operation Peace Spring two weeks ago with the aim of ‘eliminating terrorists’ and providing for the safe return of Syrian refugees. Oktay said his country was helping Syria to ensure it’s territorial integrity.

No country should expect Turkey to allow the growth along its southern border of a “murderous” terrorist group that has been “killing its soldiers and civilians indiscriminately” for over 40 years, he said.

“Achieving the goals of the deals with Russia and the U.S. depend on clearing the whole YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorist organizations from Syria,” he said.

“It is our right cause to prevent a terror corridor in northern Syria and we continue to defend our right both on the table and in the field” .

Turkey has the support of the United States, and following a meeting earlier this week with Vladimir Putin, is now being backed by Russia. The co-operation betwene the two countries is not just limited to their actions in Syria. “We prioritized to increase the bilateral trade volume to $100 billion and the number of tourists to six million. Above all, our partnership with Russia will aim to ensure stability, prosperity and peace in the region,” Oktau said.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who green-lighted the Turkish invasion which began on 9 October, and then scolded Turkey over the offensive before imposing sanctions, is now praising the operation and has lifted the sanctions – all in the space of two weeks. In fact the U.S. administration is now taking credit for the offensive.

“I come before you today at the end of a momentous week,” Vice President Mike Pence said in delivering the Frederic V. Malek Memorial Lecture on Thursday.

“In the wake of Turkish forces invading Syria, thanks to the strong economic and diplomatic action of the president of the United States, and thanks to the cooperation by our Turkish and Kurdish allies, Syrian Defense Forces were able to safely withdraw from the border area that’s currently under Turkish military control.”

“And yesterday, Turkey’s Ministry of Defense confirmed a permanent cease-fire and a halt of all offensive military operations,” said the U.S. vice president to considerable applause.

“Our troops are coming home. And I am pleased to report that through this ceasefire, Turkey and our Kurdish allies have now created an opportunity that the international community can create a safe zone that we believe will restore peace and security for all the peoples of this war-torn region. It is progress, indeed.”