The president said the operation will begin after the Turkish armed forces, intelligence and security forces have completed their preparations.
Anne-Pauliina Rytkönen,
– STT
President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has threatened to launch a new military operation in Syria, news agencies AP, Reuters and Anadolu report. Turkey defines Syrian Kurdish forces as terrorists and maintains its goal of establishing a 30-kilometer protection zone on the country’s border.
– The main target of the operation is the areas that are the centers of attacks on Turkey and the security areas, Erdoğan says.
Erdoğan did not specify his plans, but said the operation would begin after the Turkish armed forces, intelligence and security forces had completed their preparations.
In October 2019, Turkey launched an air and ground invasion of the Kurdish regions of Syria. This was possible with the previous president of the United States Donald Trump announced that he would withdraw U.S. troops from Syria out of the way of the Turkish invasion.
Turkish forces have carried out several attacks on northern Syria in recent years and have taken over areas near the border. In February, Turkey bombed Kurds in northern Syria and Iraq.
Turkey expects Finland to remove barriers to arms exports
In recent weeks, Finland has become a prominent part of the political debate in Turkey. President Erdoğan has criticized Finland and Sweden, which have applied for NATO membership.
When Turkey invaded Syrian Kurdish areas in October 2019, the attack was widely condemned around the world. Also the then Prime Minister of Finland Antti Rinne (sd.) condemned the attack. Rinne said at the time that Turkey’s actions would exacerbate Syria’s already complex crisis.
The government also decided that Finland would no longer grant new arms export licenses to Turkey. The arms embargo may be one of the reasons why Turkey is holding back Finland’s NATO membership.
President Sauli Niinistö spoke on the phone in early April with the President of Turkey. Following the debate, the Turkish President’s Office said that Erdoğan raised Turkey’s expectations that Finland would remove barriers to arms exports.
Turkey has also presented a list of demands that Finland and Sweden should end their support for terrorist organizations, provide security guarantees and lift export bans on the country.