Türkiye to take action against Syrian terrorists if national security threatened — Erdogan

Türkiye will take measures to protect national security if there is a threat from terrorists in Syria as well as from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK, outlawed in Türkiye) and its affiliated groups, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Report informs via TASS.

"President Erdogan said that for the sake of its own national security, Türkiye will take measures against all terrorist organizations, especially the PKK [and affiliated Syrian groups] and IS, operating in Syria and posing a threat to Türkiye. He said that Türkiye, as a NATO country, will prevent attempts by the PKK and its units to take advantage of the situation in Syria. It will seize every opportunity and will never allow weakness in the fight against IS," the presidential administration said in a statement.

Erdogan said that "Türkiye has been in favor of preserving Syria's territorial integrity, unity and structure from the very beginning, and that the international community should cooperate in Syria's revival and reconstruction." He also pointed out that Türkiye "will continue its efforts to develop Turkish-US relations in all fields."