ANKARA, December 25. /TASS/. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has asserted that his country intends to end the activities of terrorist separatist organizations in Syria, which must either surrender their weapons or be eliminated.
"We are fully committed to defeating terrorist organizations in Syria, particularly the IS (Islamic State, recognized as terrorist in Russia) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (outlawed in Turkey), which pose a threat to the security of our two countries. These separatist criminals will either lay down their weapons or be buried with them in Syria. We will eradicate the terrorist organization that is trying to create a blood-soaked divide between us and our Kurdish brothers," Erdogan stated during his address to the ruling Justice and Development Party in parliament.
He emphasized that terrorist groups in Syria "represent a threat to Syria, as well as Iraq and Turkey." "The only NATO member actively fighting them head-on is Turkey. And we cannot allow ourselves to be restricted in this struggle. Our sole objective is to ensure peace, stability, and security in every part of our region, starting with Syria. For others, security and stability in Syria might be secondary. We cannot agree with this, as we share a 900-kilometer border with it," the Turkish leader said.
When discussing the issue of Syrian refugees in Turkey, he mentioned that his country would "assist those who wish to return," but would "not force anyone to leave.".