UPDATE:Turkish, US officials discuss Syria safe zone

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's presidential aide Ibrahim Kalin and U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton on Wednesday spoke over the phone and discussed operationalization of the agreed safe zone in northern Syria, according to a statement by the Turkish presidency.

"Turkish side completed its preparations as part of the implementation of Turkey-U.S. joint operational plan without delay," said the statement.

During the phone call, they discussed the details to accelerate the steps to be taken for the safe zone in northern Syria, protecting the Idlib consensus, completing the establishment of the Constitutional Commission and implementing the measures to prevent new refugee influxes.

Turkish and U.S. military officials reached an agreement on Aug. 7 that the safe zone in northern Syria will serve as a "peace corridor" for displaced Syrians, longing to return home and a Joint Operations Center in Turkey will be set up to coordinate its establishment.

In the phone conversation, Kalin and Bolton also discussed the developments in Syria, fight against terrorism, bilateral trade relations, as well as the latest situation in Libya, added the statement.

They also discussed steps to be taken to increase the bilateral trade volume, expected visit of U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to Turkey in the coming days, as well as the meeting between Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the U.S. President Donald Trump as part of Turkish president's visit to UN General Assembly on Sept. 22-25 in New York.