ISTANBUL,
Turkey —
Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin
on Sunday that it was imperative the Kremlin “clear” Kurdish forces from
northern Syria.
اضافة اعلان
Erdogan has been threatening to launch a new
incursion into northern Syria to push out Kurdish forces he blames for a
November bomb blast that killed six people in Istanbul.
A 2019 agreement between Moscow and
Ankara ended another offensive by setting up a 30km “safe zone” to protect Turkey
against cross-border attacks from Syrian territory.
Erdogan accuses Russia -- a key player in the
Syria conflict which backs President Bashar Al-Assad — of failing to follow
through on the deal.
Erdogan told Putin in a phone call it was
“important to clear the (Kurdish fighters) from the border to a depth of at
least 30km,” his office said.
Erdogan stated it was a “priority”, the
Turkish presidency said.
Some of the Kurdish forces are stationed in
areas under Russian military control.
Others have been fighting with the US against
Islamist extremists from Daesh.
The Kremlin confirmed the 2019 agreement was
discussed in the call.
“The two countries’ defense and foreign
services will maintain close contacts in this regard,” a Kremlin statement
said.
Both Moscow and Washington have been putting
diplomatic pressure on Ankara not to launch a new ground campaign.
Turkey has been pummeling
Kurdish positions
near the border with artillery fire and drone strikes since November 20 in
response to the bomb blast.
But it has not yet poured in any major forces
to support ones it already has stationed in the area.
Kurdish groups deny involvement in the
Istanbul attack.
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