Sign Land Operations In Syria And Turkey: President Erdogan Calls Not Speaking To AS-Russia, Had Met Biden In Bali

President Erdogan met President Biden on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Bali. (Source: Presidency of The Republic of Turkey)

JAKARTA - President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday he had not communicated with the United States and Russia, as he signaled ground operations in northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate terrorist threats, insisting Turkey would not remain silent against terrorism.

"We haven't had any conversation with (US President Joe) Biden or (Russian President Vladimir) Putin about this operation. However, both Biden and Putin already know we can do things like that in this region at any time," President Erdogan said as reported by Daily Sabah on November 21.

President Erdogan recalled the Sochi agreement between Turkey and Russia to get rid of the YPG/PKK terrorists from northeastern Syria bordering Turkey.

"They have a responsibility to clean terrorists from the area. Unfortunately, even though we reminded them many times, they didn't," said President Erdogan.

"We say that we will not remain silent on this. We will take steps against terrorists there, if they cannot," he stressed.

Furthermore, he said, Turkey and the United States in NATO, but unfortunately Washington has sent thousands of equipment, ammunition and weapons to the terror zone in Syria.

The PKK is a banned terrorist organization in the United States, Turkey, and the European Union. However, Washington's support for its affiliates in Syria, the YPG, has been a major pressure on bilateral relations with Ankara.

The YPG has taken control of large parts of northeastern Syria after Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad withdrew in 2012. The US is partnering with YPG terrorists in northeastern Syria in its fight against the Islamic State terrorist group. On the other hand, Turkey strongly opposes the presence of the YPG in northern Syria.

President Erdogan said he had spoken with President Biden on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali last week.

"I said to him, 'We are with you in NATO, we are two important allies. Because such threats come to us from the south, you put us in trouble by providing support for terrorist organizations here. Of course, we cannot live with this problem. If necessary, we must provide the necessary answers to them'," said President Erdogan.

"Of course, they can't say anything. We have done what is needed right now, we are doing it and we will continue to do it."

President Erdogan said the US and Russia failed to fulfill their commitment to providing a safe zone in the border area. In October 2019, Russia committed to expelling terrorist groups from Tal Rifaat and Manbij after reaching an agreement with Turkey during Operation Peace Spring 2019.

Moscow also promised terrorists would be removed 30 kilometers from the border on the M4 road and in areas outside the Operation Peace Spring area.

Similarly, the then US Vice President, Mike Pence, promised Turkey the YPG/PKK terrorist group would withdraw from the Operation Peace Spring area.

As previously reported, President Erdogan signaled land operations to Iraq and Syria to eradicate terrorists who threaten their security.

"First of all, this operation in northern Iraq and northern Syria was not an operation carried out with random thinking saying 'who will say what?' or 'how did that happen?'" President Erdogan said.

"As we have said before, if someone disturbs our country and land, we will make them pay the price. So, there are terrorist organizations in our south that plan multiple attacks or carry out such attacks and pose a threat (to Turkey)," President Erdogan said on the presidential plane on his return from Qatar.

President Erdogan's remarks came after Turkey launched Operation LAW-Sword on Sunday morning, a cross-border air campaign against the PKK terrorist group and its Syrian branch YPG, which has illegal hiding places across Iraq's and Syria's borders, where they plan an attack on Turkish soil.

"This is not limited to air operations," President Erdogan stressed, adding that the relevant units would consult and take appropriate steps.

Turkey's air operations followed a terrorist attack last Sunday on Jalan Istiklal which was bustling in Istanbul, killing at least six people and causing 81 others to be injured.