Turkey's Erdoğan says Afrin will be handed over to residents
Severly criticizing the recent remarks made by Russian Foreign Minister, Turkish President Erdoğan said in his Tuesday speech that "Afrin will be handed over to its residents when the time comes."
- World
- Anadolu Agency
- Published Date: 12:00 | 10 April 2018
- Modified Date: 04:29 | 10 April 2018
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Tuesday that Turkey will return Syria's Afrin to its residents, criticizing the recent remarks by Russian foreign minister.
Sergey Lavrov on Monday urged Ankara to return Afrin to the Bashar al-Assad regime.
"This is a wrong approach. We know very well to whom we will return Afrin," Erdoğan told reporters in the parliament.
He said Afrin would be handed over to its residents "when the time comes".
"But, we will define the time," he added.
Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch on Jan. 20 to clear YPG/PKK and Daesh terrorist groups from Afrin in northwestern Syria amid growing threats from the region.
On March 18, Turkish-backed troops liberated Afrin town center, which had been a major hideout for the YPG/PKK since 2012.