The Turkish president’s statement comes after Ankara claimed that it was ready to launch a military operation against the Kurdish YPG militia on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River as well as in other parts of Syria.

Axar.az reports citing Sputnik.

Commenting on the upcoming meeting on Wednesday with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, President Erdogan stated that he is planning to discuss the creation of a security zone in Syria.

Earlier, in December, the Kurdish fighters announced their withdrawal from the Syrian city of Manbij near the Turkish border and called on Damascus to take control of the area in order to protect it in the event of Ankara launching a military operation against the Kurds.