EsterJamisola
The Russian Defense Ministry expressed concern when Turkey announced a new military operation in northern Syria if the Kurds did not withdraw.
"Turkey's foreign minister's call to action only escalated the situation in northern Syria, rather than aligning things in the direction outlined in a joint agreement between the President of Russia and Turkey," Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said today in a statement.
Patrol cars of Russian and Turkish troops in Kobani city, northern Syria on November 18 Photo: Anadolu
The comment came after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on November 18 that it would launch a new military campaign in northeastern Syria if the Kurds militia (YPG), which Ankara considers terrorist , do not withdraw completely from this area.
Cavusoglu added that Moscow and Washington have not yet fulfilled their commitment to pushing the Kurds out of the Turkish border 30 km as in last month's deals with Ankara, and urged the two countries to comply with their claims.
However, Konashenkov said Russia had fulfilled its obligations under an agreement on October 22 between President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Russia has taken a series of measures that help open up the possibility of significantly stabilizing the situation," the spokesman said.
Konashenkov also listed a number of advances he said were brought about by Moscow, including the rapid separation of conflict parties and joint patrols with the Turkish armed forces, as well as the deployment of additional military police to the northeast. Syria, setting up field hospitals for civilians, distributing humanitarian aid and rebuilding infrastructure.
Turkey in early October launched a military operation in northeastern Syria to drive the Kurds out of the border, opening a safety buffer of about 30 km wide. The campaign ended after Putin and Erdogan agreed to allow the Russian military police and Syrian border forces to replace Kurdish forces in the border area bordering Turkey within 150 hours. Earlier, Ankara agreed to a ceasefire with the Kurds for 120 hours under a Washington-mediated agreement.
