Burak Bir
29 October 2019•Update: 30 October 2019
ANKARA
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that Turkey believes its Russian partners over the withdrawal of YPG from the region, but cannot trust terrorists.
"Russia informed us PKK/YPG elements left. We have to believe our Russian partners but we cannot trust terrorists,' Cavusoglu said at a press conference with his Russian and Iranian counterparts in Geneva.
Touching on the Syria Constitutional Committee meetings that will start tomorrow, he said that the launch of talks for new Syria constitution is a huge step forward.
On Oct. 9, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring to eliminate terrorists from northern Syria east of the Euphrates River in order to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees, and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.
Last week, on Oct. 22, Erdogan and Putin held a meeting in Russia's Black Sea resort town of Sochi.
Ankara and Moscow reached a deal under which YPG/PKK terrorists will pull back 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) south of Turkey’s border with northern Syria within 150 hours, and security forces from Turkey and Russia will conduct joint patrols there.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK.
