President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has emphasized that security concerns will be addressed with new operations in Syria during his opening speech at the Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) 30th Consultation and Evaluation Meeting, Turkish media reports.
Noting that preparations for new operations have started, he said, "We have shattered the terror corridor created on our southern border with the Euphrates Shield (2016), Olive Branch (2018) and Peace Spring (2019) operations, and most recently, Operation Claw-Lock in April."
Ankara has launched successive operations against the PKK in northern Iraq since 2020, most recently, Operation Claw-Lock in April to target PKK hideouts in Iraq's Metina region. It was preceded by operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle, which were launched in 2020 to root out terrorists hiding in northern Iraq and plotting cross-border attacks within Turkish territory.
"Our fierce struggle against the PKK terrorist group and the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) comes from our responsibility to our nation. We know that the actors we come across are just apparatuses. Our struggle is with the real enemies," Erdogan added.
"Not even a single inch of the land of our beloved homeland will be seized without the last person of this nation being martyred. Turkey's potential and power are beyond the scales," he said.
Speaking about Finland and Sweden's NATO bids, "While world security and the economy is being redefined, Turkey is showing its difference," he said.
"We spoke with Stoltenberg on Friday. NATO is not an organization that will provide terrorist security. Nobody should expect us to make the same mistake while terrorist organizations are running around in Sweden and Finland, while they are carrying their posters, and terrorist organizations are running around in Greece," he outlined.
