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Turkey has no hidden agenda in Middle East, Erdogan says

According to the Turkish president, the republic's goal is to ensure an atmosphere of peace

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan AP Photo/Hussein Malla

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

© AP Photo/Hussein Malla

ANKARA, August 25. /TASS/. Turkey has no hidden agenda in the Middle East, only wanting peace in the region, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

"We don’t have any hidden agenda or intentions, as some claim. Our mission is to safeguard an atmosphere of peace around us. We can see that bloody scenarios are being plotted for our region. With God’s help, we will not allow them to come to fruition," he told the TRT Haber television channel after a cabinet meeting.

"No one has the right to dictate to us which course we should follow. We will continue defending Turkey’s interests," he stressed.

Erdogan’s statement came in response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning that Tel Aviv will not tolerate Turkey’s military presence in Syria.

Israel attacked the Abu al-Duhur military airfield in Syria’s Idlib on August 18. The US President’s Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq and US Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, told I24 TV that the airstrike could have led to a sharp escalation, potentially sparking direct military conflict between Israel and Turkey.

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