ABU DHABI, October 15. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stated his intent to withdraw Turkish troops from northern Syria after defeating the terrorists active in the region, Russia's Special Envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentyev told reporters on Tuesday.

"Erdogan did warn everyone that they [Turkish troops] plan to carry out an operation, and that the aim of the operation is to fight against what he sees as terrorist groups. So, when he fulfills this goal, Turkey will withdraw troops from Syria," Lavrentyev said. He was unable to provide a specific date of when that might happen.

The Russian envoy recalled Russia’s position, stating that only Syrian troops should be located on the border between Syria and Turkey, which would serve as a better guarantee of protection against terrorist threats coming toward Turkey from the Syrian territory.

On October 9, Turkey announced the launch of Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria, which began with airstrikes on Kurdish positions. The operation’s goal is to create a buffer zone along the Turkish border, where, according to Ankara, Syrian refugees residing in Turkey could return. SANA (Syrian Arab News Agency) slammed the operation as aggression. The international community condemned Ankara’s actions.