Addressing district governors, President Erdogan said: “Those who had for years seen DAESH as an excuse to protect the PKK/YPG have now seen that both of the organizations serve the same purpose just like two sides of the same coin. It is so painful that the international community has for such a long time become a toy of the blackmail the two terrorist organizations have plotted in collusion. It is even more painful that big states have attempted to stand behind this tragic game in earnest.”

 “The success of the agreements with the U.S. and Russia is contingent on the total elimination of the PKK/YPG and DAESH from Syria”

President Erdogan said: “The success of the agreements we have reached with the U.S. and Russia is contingent on the total elimination of the PKK/YPG and DAESH terror organizations’ presence from Syrian lands starting from our borders. We express this to our counterparts, too, at every opportunity.”

Stressing Turkey’s determination in the fight against terror both at home and beyond its borders, President Erdogan stated: “Whether they be the U.S., Russia, the regime or any other power, if they attempt to put any terrorist organization in our way under different names and flags or in different uniforms, we will never fall for any such game. If that turns out to be the case, no offence but we will never hesitate to walk down our own path. And we will never calculate the magnitude of the price we may have to pay on that path. That game had been staged many times in the past; yet, the entire world has now accepted that the PKK and the YPG are the same organization.”

“Those who had for years seen DAESH as an excuse to protect the PKK/YPG have now seen that both of the organizations serve the same purpose”

President Erdogan continued as follows: “Likewise, those who had for years seen DAESH as an excuse to protect the PKK/YPG have now seen that both of the organizations serve the same purpose just like two sides of the same coin. It is so painful that the international community has for such a long time become a toy of the blackmail the two terrorist organizations have plotted in collusion. It is even more painful that big states have attempted to stand behind this tragic game in earnest. Operation Peace Spring, which Turkey launched at 4 p.m. on October 9, has taken down the theatre of blackmails and schemes and has revealed the truth.”

ILKHA