Iraq's Kurdish Regional Government President Nechirvan Barzani spoke at a press conference in Erbil, Iraq.

"Turkey's problem in the beginning was not Kurds in Syria, it was the PKK. They were clear in saying one thing: 'we cannot bear seeing the flag of the PKK on our borders with Syria,'" he said and adding that the PKK's struggle for legitimacy in the area led to the Turkish invasion.

Noting that the best possible solution to the current crisis in the north-east enclave, known as Rojava, is for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to engage in further dialogue with Damascus, Barzani continued as follows:

"Emotionally, there is no doubt that all of us, any Kurd, who sees what is happening in Syria and what Kurds are suffering there, is sad and want things to happen in a different way."

ILKHA