Turkish deputy speaker reacts to Trump's threats

By Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish deputy parliament speaker reacted to U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks about Turkey's planned operation to form a safe zone in northern Syria.

"Our country is not a country which can be disciplined with external commands and can be brought to its knees," Levent Gok told lawmakers at the general assembly.

Underlining that Turkey is an independent country, Gok said the country could "solve its own issues."

"Notably, the U.S. and all countries should know that Turkey has the stuff and soul to wage a similar war of independence that it had before against imperialism," he said.

Trump threatened Turkey on Monday with economic collapse should Ankara take action he deemed "off limits" in Syria, ahead of a planned Turkish operation in the country's northeast.

"As I have stated strongly before, and just to reiterate, if Turkey does anything that I, in my great and unmatched wisdom, consider to be off limits, I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I’ve done before!)," Trump said on Twitter.