Ankara stands for the territorial integrity of Syria and does not intend to annex its territory, Turkish leader Tayyip Erdogan said.
“Turkey’s goals in the war-torn Syria have never included attempts to invade or annex Syrian territory“, – the president said in a statement in Istanbul. The broadcast was conducted by NTV.
“Our only goal is to create conditions under which 3.6 million Syrian refugees in Turkey and 1.5 million on the border with Turkey in Idlib could safely return to their homes. We want to ensure the territorial integrity and political unity of Syria as soon as possible”, – said Erdogan.
According to him, Turkey spent $ 40 billion to receive Syrian refugees, while the EU countries provided Ankara with only 3 billion euros for these purposes.
On Thursday in Moscow, negotiations were held between the leaders of Russia and Turkey in connection with the aggravation of the situation in the Syrian province of Idlib.
Following the meeting, a joint document was adopted. The parties reaffirmed their commitment to the “Astana format” and announced the introduction of a ceasefire regime from midnight on Friday. The parties agreed to jointly patrol the important M4 highway, which is now under the control of militants.