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Turkey determined to continue operations: Erdogan

03 August 2015 08:33 (UTC +04:00)

Baku – APA. “We had run out of patience. The Turkish government had to take decisive actions,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was flying from Indonesia to Pakistan, told reporters onboard, APA reporters.

The president said any terrorist concentrations in northern Syria can not be tolerated.

“Our stance is known to the U.S. As our NATO ally and strategic partner, I don't believe the U.S. will tolerate such a threat to Turkey either. As you know, I talked to President Barack Obama on July 22 on ISIS. Soon after, a soldier of ours was martyred and we launched the operation against ISIS. Meanwhile, the PKK concentration in the Qandil Mountains was another threat. We were forced to take steps to counter both threats. The operations are going to continue. As the Republic of Turkey, we are determined: One nation, one state, one flag!” he said.

Erdogan noted that in his discussions with the United States he talked about the involvement of Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the anti-ISIS coalition forces. “France and Britain from Europe also being part of the anti-ISIS coalition,” he added.

Erdogan also said that he had also talked over this matter with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the1st European Games held in the Azerbaijani capital.

“In a phone conversation with Putin after our meeting in Baku left me with the impression that he is changing his attitude. He is no longer of the opinion that Russia will support Assad to the end. I believe he can give up Assad,” said the Turkish president.

The Turkish President also talked about discussions over the Uighur Turks in China. “The only issue that concerns China on the issue is terrorism. They are naturally concerned about some Uighurs joining terrorist groups, including ISIS, and posing a threat to China's national integrity. I need to say that we are also aware that some Uighurs have joined ISIS. I held discussions with members of the China Islam Association. They said there are 35,000 mosques and 40,000 religious officials in China”, he said.

To the question on the closure of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) ErdoÄŸan responded: “As you know, I have always been against the closure of political parties. So, everyone knows who wants to close parties or not. My thesis is that we need to separate the individual from the institution. If someone is committing a crime, he or she needs to be punished. The prosecutor has launched an investigation into Selahattin DemirtaÅŸ, the HDP co-chair, and now it is a matter for the judiciary. It would not be right for me to comment on such an issue. It is a judicial matter.”