According to reports by Turkish media, Recep Tayyip Erdan, Turkey’s President, said that Turkey would not wait for permission from the United States before launching a new offensive against Syria.
After returning from Azerbaijan, the head of state stated to a group journalists that “we cannot fight terroristism while waiting for permission from anybody.” “What will you do if the United States doesn’t do its part in fighting terrorism?” He responded to Washington’s warning by saying, “We will manage on our own.”
Through Ned Price, the US State Department spokesperson, the United States stated Tuesday that it was “deeply disturbed” by Erdogan’s Monday announcement of an imminent Turkish military operation in northern Turkey. Ankara will be provided with a 30-kilometer-wide “safe zone” at its border by Syria. We condemn any escalation. Price stated that he supports the current ceasefire lines.
When asked about the NATO accession process for Sweden and Finland which Ankara opposes so far, Erdogan answered that discussions between the Turkish, Finnish, and Swedish delegations in Ankara on Wednesday were not “up to expectations”.
Erdogan accused the Nordic countries of supporting terrorism again, believing that Sweden is neither honest nor sincere.
Turkey accuses Sweden and Turkey, which have a large Turkish community, of harbouring Kurdish militants of the PKK (the Kurdistan Workers Party), which is considered a terrorist group by Ankara. She denounces also the presence of Fethullah-Gulen supporters on their soil, whom she accuses having orchestrated the July 2016 coup attempt.
