UPDATE - Turkish president calls for concrete steps to clear N.Syria of PKK/PYD/YPG terror group

UPDATES WITH MORE REMARKS BY TURKISH PRESIDENT; ADDS BACKGROUND; EDITS THROUGH

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) - The Turkish president, in a phone call on Thursday with his Russian counterpart, called for concrete steps to clear northern Syria of the PKK/PYD/YPG terror group.

"The concrete steps should now be taken to clear PKK/PYD/YPG terror groups especially from Tal Rifaat, Manbij in northern Syria, near Türkiye's border," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Vladimir Putin, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate.

The Syrian regime needs to be "constructive and (should) take some steps in the political process to get concrete results" in the Syria crisis, Erdogan added.

On Dec. 28, the Turkish, Russian, and Syrian defense ministers met in Moscow to discuss counterterrorism efforts in Syria, and they agreed to continue tripartite meetings to ensure stability in Syria and in the wider region.

The meeting tackled the Syria crisis, the refugee issue, and joint counter-terrorism efforts against all terror groups in Syria.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said a second meeting could take place in mid-January.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

- Ankara aims to complete gas hub project with Moscow

Referring to the Ankara-Moscow joint initiation to build a natural gas hub in Türkiye's northwestern Thrace region after a proposal from Russia, Erdogan said Ankara is strengthening the infrastructure to turn the country into a gas hub.

He also said Türkiye aims to complete the roadmap for the establishment of the hub and take concrete steps to implement the project "as soon as possible."

Regarding the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Erdogan noted that the calls for peace and negotiation between Moscow and Kyiv should be supported by "a unilateral cease-fire and a vision of fair solution."

He also recalled the recent Russia-Ukraine negotiations that yielded positive results, including the grain corridor, prisoner exchange, and creating a safe zone around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.