'We will not ask for permission from anyone regarding the operation in Syria'

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Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın spoke about the possible military operation of Turkey in Syria after the phone call with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

"Of course, we consult with our allies and other countries. We also cooperate when necessary, but when it comes to our safety, we clearly determine our attitude based on our priorities and act accordingly, without asking anyone's permission," said Kalın adding that "both Russia and the US must stick to the agreement made in 2019, especially regarding the regions where the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and People's Defense Units (YPG) are located."

"Border security"

"Like how we have carried out military operations to protect our border in the past, it is Turkey's most legitimate right to take steps in this direction. In this regard, we are not going to ask permission from anyone."

"To a large extent, we have ensured our border security. However, in terms of Syria's future, territorial integrity, and political unity, PYD and YPG's illegal activities being tolerated is unacceptable."

"I expressed this to Sullivan in my phone call yesterday. We continue to tell these to our other European British, French, and German counterparts as well."

Talks with Sweden and Finland

Kalın answered the question about the timing of the second round of talks with Sweden and Finland as follows:

"We hosted the Swedish and Finnish delegations with Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Önal as well as our Deputy Minister of National Defense and our friends from related institutions at the Presidential Complex."

"We clearly explained ourselves to them in a distinct and detailed way. We presented them with information and documents containing our expectations. Although some goodwill statements were made at that meeting, we did not receive any feedback yet."

"During this time, an interview of Salih Muslim, one of the co-chairs of the PKK/PYD/YPG terrorist organization, was broadcasted on Swedish state television. This reflects their point of view about this process."

"We have expectations about the steps that Sweden and Finland will take and the legal regulations they will make. Therefore, the next course of the process depends on the attitude that Finland and Sweden will take in light of the information and documents we have provided them."(RT/TB)