Syria peace corridor important for Turkey

The Syria peace corridor agreed by Ankara and Washington is a security issue of crucial importance for Turkey, said Turkish foreign minister on Friday, reports Anadolu Agency.

Mevlut Cavusoglu’s remarks came at a lunch gathering with businessmen, members of some NGOs and students in northern Samsun province, where he attended the last day of 11th Ambassadors’ Meeting.

In Syria, we are fighting against terrorism and working with the US to eliminate the terror corridor there and create a peace corridor or a safe-zone. However, this process will not be like [Syrian town of] Manbij […] We will never allow this process to be stalled as it is a security issue of crucial importance for Turkey.

The Manbij deal between Turkey and the US focuses on the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the city to stabilize the region, which is located in the northern part of Syria’s Aleppo province.

YPG/PKK is the Syrian offshoot of terror group PKK, which has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people in Turkey, including many children, women, and infants, for more than 30 years.

READ: Turkey granted citizenship to over 92,000 Syrians

On Wednesday, Turkish military officials and their US counterparts agreed that the safe-zone in northern Syria would be a “peace corridor” for displaced Syrians longing to return home.

Also, both sides agreed on the immediate implementation of measures to address Turkey’s security concern.

A Joint Operations Center in Turkey to coordinate and manage the establishment of the safe-zone was planned during the meeting.