ANKARA —
Iran’s foreign minister signaled on
Monday that Tehran would not oppose a new proposed Turkish military operation
targeting outlawed Kurdish militants in Syria.
اضافة اعلان
“We understand Turkey’s security concerns very
well,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told reporters after talks in Ankara with his
Turkish counterpart
Mevlut Cavusoglu.
“We understand that ... maybe a special operation
might be needed,” he added. “Turkey’s security concerns must be tackled fully
and permanently.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has warned
over the past few weeks that he may soon launch a new offensive in Syria
against Kurdish fighters waging an insurgency against the Turkish state.
These include the
US-backed Kurdish People’s Protection Units, which formed a crucial part of an
international coalition against Daesh.
Both Washington and Moscow have called for restraint
from Turkey. But Erdogan has said he expects Turkey’s allies to “understand and
respect” the proposed military campaign.
He said on Monday that the offensive would begin “as
soon as our preparations are finished”.
Iran is a major ally of
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad and an important trading partner for Turkey.
The two sides’ relations were rocked earlier this
month by the arrest of eight people Turkey alleges worked for an Iranian
assassination team scoping out Israeli targets in Istanbul. The two ministers
did not directly address the arrests in their prepared remarks.
Turkey has launched a string of offensives in Syria
since 2016 targeting Kurdish militias as well as Daesh and forces loyal to
Assad.
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