Syria Safe Zone: Foreign Minister Says 'Many Topics Need to be Detailed'

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Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Nabeela Tunis, his counterpart from Sierra Leone, have held a joint press conference in the capital Ankara after signing agreements on cooperation and visa-free travel.

When asked about the plans to establish a "safe zone" with the US in northeastern Syria, Çavuşoğlu said that the US will not be able to "stall" Turkey on the establishment of the safe zone.

"What we say since the beginning is that a US stalling tactic will not work. Unfortunately, they employed such stalling on Manbij [Syrian town], they did not keep their promise. The area in the east of the Euphrates River has since become a terror nest. While these are being talked about, the US continues the arms aid to these terrorists," he said.

The Manbij deal between Turkey and the US focuses on the withdrawal of YPG from the city, which is located west of Euphrates river, near the Turkish border.

Cavusoglu underlined that the preliminary agreement between Ankara and Washington for a safe zone was only a beginning and that there remained "many topics" that need detailing.

"For this reason, we agreed to set up a joint operations center," he said, adding that several US soldiers arrived in Turkey for this purpose.

"A delegation led by the deputy commander of the US European Command will come to Urfa," he added.

Noting that Turkey's unmanned aircraft began flights over the region, Cavusoglu said observation points will be erected and joint patrols will be conducted in the area.

He said, "The aim here is to establish a safe zone and Trump made a promise for '20 miles' and this is removing the YPG [People's Protection Units] and PKK [Kurdistan Workers' Party] from the area. Only then it could be a safe zone."

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an umbrella group the largest element of which is the YPG, controls large parts in eastern and northeastern Syria.

Çavuşoğlu said that they are also talking with Russia to ensure peace in İdlib, the northwestern province that is controlled by armed groups, some of which are backed by Turkey.

On August 7, military officials from Turkey and the US agreed to set up a "safe zone" and develop a "peace corridor" to facilitate the return of displaced Syrians currently living in Turkey. They also agreed to establish a joint operations center.

The agreement envisages the setting up of measures necessary to address Turkey's security concerns. (RT/VK)