Turkey, US must resolve trust issues before discussing Syrian 'safe zone'

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Thursday said that it would not be right for Turkey and the United States to discuss a potential "safe zone" in Syria until trust issues between the two NATO allies are resolved.

On Wednesday, local media had quoted Cavusoglu as saying that US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had proposed a 30km safe zone in Syria's northwestern Afrin region during their meeting in Paris on Tuesday.

"There was a loss of trust with the US during this period. Until trust is instilled again, it is not right for these issues to be discussed," Cavusoglu said. 

"We need to reestablish trust first." 

Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to remove the YPG/PKK and Daesh from Afrin in a bid to secure its border and bring peace to the region.

Afrin has been a YPG/PKK stronghold since July 2012 when the Assad regime in Syria abandoned the city to the terror group.

Turkey considers the YPG an affiliate of the PKK, a terror organisation.

But the US is backing the YPG-led SDF in the fight against Daesh.

"Backing YPG is humiliating for the US"

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Thursday said the US cooperation with terrorist organisations is "self-humiliating" for Washington.

"It is really very humiliating for America to hold business with terror organisations, [and] take actions it planned with a terror organisation in the region."

Referring to the US, Yildirim said the country, which Turkey has worked together with for many years in the region and called it "ally" in NATO, is clinging to terror groups.

"It is a sad and a dire situation," he said.

The premier said it is “unacceptable” that such country, instead of protecting the borders of NATO, is supporting the terror establishments.

Operation also protecting Europe's security

Operation Olive Branch was necessary not only for Turkey's security but also for Europe, Turkey's European Union Affairs Minister Omer Celik said on Thursday during a press conference in Brussels.

"Turkey is a NATO member country and a candidate country to the European Union. Turkey represents the border of EU in the region so that Turkey can never allow a terror group alongside these borders," Celik said. 

"Turkey doesn't make a distinction between Daesh or YPG or PKK as all of them are terrorist organisations."