Erdogan: Turkey does not want war

President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media ahead of his departure to Azerbaijan at Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Turkey on 25 February 2020. [Erçin Top – Anadolu Agency]

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that Ankara has demonstrated through its military operation in Idlib, Syria, that “it knows how to fight, but it does not want war”.

During a meeting with members of his Justice and Development Party in Parliament, Erdogan stressed that Turkey “will not allow the blood of its martyrs to be wasted”, stressing that Ankara “will not leave the oppressed Syrian people alone”.

The Turkish president explained that since the start of “Operation Spring Shield”, the Syrian regime has lost more than 3,200 soldiers.

“After the attack that led to the martyrdom of 36 of our soldiers, we opened the doors for immigrants wishing to go to Europe,” Erdogan said, stressing that this measure does not contradict international law, which guarantees the right to asylum and immigration.

READ: Turkey has given Europe a choice: deter Russia from bombing Idlib, or face more refugees

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