The Turkish authorities are prepared to give the new Syrian leadership time to negotiate the disarmament of Kurdish armed groups, stated Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday.
"We see that the Syrian government is expressing a willingness to negotiate an end to the terror from the Syrian Kurdish self-defense forces, and we are ready to give them the opportunity to realize this plan. We will wait for this," the agency EFE quoted the minister as saying.
The statement highlights that Ankara has indicated it is currently refraining from the idea of a military operation against the Kurds on Syrian territory.
Earlier this week, Fidan mentioned that if the Kurdish militias, who control a significant area in northeastern Syria, do not lay down their arms, Turkey may initiate a military operation against them.