Turkey says ready to create 'safe zone' for Kurds in SyriaJanuary 15, 2019 - 16:44 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he responded positively to Donald Trump's call for a "safe zone" along its border with Kurdish-held Syria, the BBC reports. The leaders spoke by telephone after Trump threatened to "devastate Turkey economically" if it attacked a Kurdish militia when allied US troops withdrew. Turkey regards the People's Protection Units (YPG) as a terrorist group. On Tuesday, January 15, Erdogan told Turkish MPs he had agreed that a 32km (20-mile) deep safe zone "will be created by us". There was no immediate response from Trump or US officials, nor the Kurdish authorities who control more than 400km of the Turkish-Syrian border. However, the US president tweeted on Monday night that he had spoken to Erdogan to "advise where we stand" on the safe zone and efforts to eliminate the remnants of the Islamic State group in eastern Syria with the help of fighters from the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces alliance. "Also spoke about economic development between the US & Turkey - great potential to substantially expand!" he added. Turkey considers the YPG an extension of the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has fought for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey for three decades. Photo. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenian, Saudi Foreign Minister meet in Riyadh The two commended the positive dynamics of the development of political dialogue between Armenia and Saudi Arabia Pashinyan: Azerbaijan’s proximity shouldn’t worry border residents At the same time, he said that he “does not guarantee [the security of villagers] one hundred percent”. U.S. doesn’t see Russia as contributing to peace in Caucasus Patel made the remarks when asked about the implications of Russia’s withdrawal of peacekeepers from Karabakh. Up to 1% cashback when shopping on Wildberries with IDBank cards IDBank is launching an exclusive campaign on Wildberries for online shopping enthusiasts. |