In press statements he made on his plane while returning to his homeland, Erdogan described his talks with Putin in the Russian city of Sochi yesterday as “frank and fruitful”, adding: “We discussed that the time has come to implement a final and sustainable solution in Syria, primarily in Idlib, and we have defined a road map that our defense and foreign ministers will rely on.”
The Turkish president expressed Ankara’s firm commitment to all agreements concluded with Russia on Syria, stressing that “there is no going back.” Erdogan indicated that he reminded Putin that there is an office for the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (which Ankara considers a terrorist organization) in Moscow, expressing Turkey’s readiness to strengthen solidarity with Russia in the fight against terrorism.
Referring to the PKK and the People’s Protection Units, he said, “The agreements reached with Russia on ending the presence of the PKK/YPG terrorist organization in Syria must be implemented.” The Turkish president pointed out that more than one million people, including 400,000 in Idlib, have returned to their homes, stressing that Ankara is working non-stop to ensure the safe return of the Syrians hosted by Turkey.
