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US should end confusion over Syria's future: Turkish PM

Binali Yıldırım says US should change its Syria policy to mend relations with Turkey

Ersin Çelik
12:23 - 18/01/2018 Perşembe
Update: 12:25 - 18/01/2018 Perşembe
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Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım

The prime minister on Thursday said the U.S. should end confusion over Syria's future and change its policy in Syria to mend relations with Turkey.

"The practices of our NATO ally U.S. in Syria are unfortunately wrong and against the spirit of alliance. The U.S. should end confusion over the region's future, and change its attitude towards peace and restoring relations with Turkey," Binali Yıldırım said during his speech at a provincial security directorate meeting in the capital.

The premier's remarks come after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Washington owed Turkey an explanation over "inaccurate" reports that it was creating a border force in cooperation with SDF/PKK terrorists in northern Syria.

"That entire situation has been misportrayed, misdescribed, some people misspoke. We are not creating a border security force at all," Tillerson told reporters on his way back from giving a speech at Stanford University in California.

Yıldırım said the U.S had made contradictory statements on the issue over the past several days, which he named "signs of confusion".

The U.S.-led international coalition against Daesh said on Sunday that it would establish a 30,000-strong new border security force with the SDF/PKK -- a group largely controlled and manned by the PYD/PKK terrorist organization.

Yıldırım went on to say that Turkey's stance was clear. "We will never allow the establishment of a terrorist army along the southern borders [of Turkey]," he reiterated, adding Turkey would take all measures to protect its borders, and citizens within the framework of international law.

#Rex Tillerson
#Syria
#Binali Yildirim
6 yıl önce