News / Turkey

Turkey: No joint operation with Russia in Syria

Thursday, 29 December 2016 10:58 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 29 December 2016 11:03 AM ]

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (Photo by Anadolu news agency)

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu says his country is not involved in any joint military operation with Russia in Syria’s northern province of Aleppo.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the A Haber television news network on Thursday, Cavusoglu stated that there is no such offensive in the Syrian city of al-Bab, located 40 kilometers northeast of Aleppo.

On August 24, Turkish troops invaded northern Syria in a bid to support the so-called Free Syrian Army militants and rid the border area of Kurdish militants. The offensive was launched in coordination with the US military.

The incursion was the first major Turkish military intervention in Syria, which drew strong condemnation from the Damascus government for violating the Arab country's sovereignty.

In this file photo, Turkish soldiers stand guard near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border. (Photo by Reuters)

Cavusoglu said Ankara was working with Moscow to establish a ceasefire in Syria before the end of the current year.

“We are on the verge of an agreement with Russia. If everything goes alright, we will make this agreement. Russia will be the guarantor” of the Syrian government, he said.

Cavusoglu also criticized the United States government for providing weapons to Kurdish militants in Syria.

“The coalition, which the US is in, has not been giving aerial support to our Euphrates Shield operation since a particular time-frame. The US is providing arms to the YPG and PYD,” he said, referring to the two main Kurdish groups.

Turkey is said to be among the main supporters of militant groups in Syria and stands accused of training and arming Takfiri elements in Syria and facilitating their passage into the country.

However, a series of bombings claimed by Takfiri groups inside Turkey have apparently forced the country to step up cooperation with Russia which is helping the Syrian government in its fight against terrorists.

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