Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has slammed Washington over stalling efforts to build safe zone area in northeastern Syria vowing that Ankara will take the necessary steps to push back YPG militants.
Turkey raps US stalling work on Syria ‘safe zone’, vows working alone if needed
11 Sep 2019 - 12:24
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has slammed Washington over stalling efforts to build safe zone area in northeastern Syria vowing that Ankara will take the necessary steps to push back YPG militants.
Cavusoglu told reporters in the capital Ankara on Tuesday that Turkey wanted to work with the US but was growing impatient.
“Yes, there are some joint patrols but other than that, the steps that have been taken or the steps that are said to be taken are cosmetic steps,” he told reporters.
“We are seeing that the United States is entering a stalling process...and that it is trying get Turkey accustomed to this stalling process,” he added, arguing that Washington's approach has so far served the YPG more than Turkey.
His comments came after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the weekend that Turkey rejected Washington's protection of the YPG, and that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies faced differences “at every step” in the safe zone talks.
Erdogan stated that Turkey would act alone if the safe zone was not established by the end of September.
Also on Tuesday, the Turkish president said it was not possible for his country to handle a new wave of refugees from Syria.
“Our expectation from the United States is to stand with us in our fight against terror and our efforts to establish safe zones where the refugees can return to,” Erdogan said at a lunch with visiting US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.
He added that Ankara "greatly valued" its cooperation with Washington in Syria.
“Sending 50,000 trucks of equipment and ammunition to the terrorists so far has really bothered us. Against who are these (weapons) used? Against Turkey. It is not possible for us to accept this as a strategic partner,” Erdogan said.
On Sunday, Turkey's Defense Ministry announced the start of the joint US-Turkish ground patrols east of the Euphrates in northeastern Syria in a post published on its official Twitter page, and said the patrols are being supported by unmanned aerial vehicles.
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