Turkiye won't allow terror groups to take shelter in Syria, Iraq - Cavusoglu
The foreign minister of Turkiye has renewed calls for collaboration against terror groups in Syria and Iraq to eliminate threats. The country will not permit the terrorist PKK/PYD/YPG group to seek refuge in Syria and Iraq, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
"We will not allow the PKK/PYD/YPG to take shelter in Syria and Iraq. We will definitely not allow this. No matter what others say about it, we will do whatever it takes," Cavusoglu told the parliament on December 12.
Earlier this month, Turkey launched Operation Claw-Sword in northern Iraq and Syria as a cross-border aerial offensive against the PKK terrorist organization, which maintains hideouts on both sides of the Iraqi and Syrian borders from where they plan and occasionally carry out attacks on Turkish soil.
After the air operation was launched, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also signaled a ground operation into northern Iraq and northern Syria to eliminate terror threats.
"In Syria, we have been in talks with the (Assad) regime for a while, through the intelligence services. If the regime acts realistically, we are ready to work together on the fight against terrorism, the political process, and the return of Syrians. It is unthinkable otherwise," Cavusoglu said.
Turkiye follows the same policy in Iraq, Cavusoglu said, adding that Ankara offers both Iraq's central and regional governments cooperation in fighting terrorism.
"If our interlocutors listen to our calls, we will march together and fight terrorism together. If they remain unresponsive, we will pull ourselves by our own bootstraps," he added.
The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the EU, and the USA, and is responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.
Turning to Libya, Cavusoglu said Turkiye continues to reap the fruits of the pursued active policy it started in the oil-rich country in 2019.
"You can all see what the hydrocarbon memorandum of understanding, which we signed in Tripoli in October, has done to Greece.
"Last week, in response to the Greek decision to engage in hydrocarbon activities in the south of Crete, Libya took steps to uphold the Maritime Jurisdiction Agreement it signed with us," Cavusoglu said.
On October 3, Turkiye and the Government of National Unity of Libya signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons. The deal envisages the development of bilateral scientific, technical, technological, legal, administrative, and commercial cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons both on land and at sea.
Cavusoglu said that last week, Greece complained to the UN about the deal.
"Together with Libya, we conveyed our joint response to this letter to the UN."
The letter of Athens, which
Cavusoglu defines as "purely demagogic," claimed that the deal violates Greece’s sovereign rights and international law.
"This achievement (signing of MoU) will determine the balance in the Eastern Mediterranean for generations to come," Cavusoglu said.
Oil-rich Libya has been in turmoil since 2011 when longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi was ousted after four decades in power.
For lasting stability in Libya, Turkiye deems the holding of free, fair, and nationwide elections as soon as possible crucial, in line with the aspirations of the Libyan people.