'Turkey's Policies On Syria, Libya Not Arbitrary'

If Turkey avoids struggling in Syria, Libya, the Mediterranean and generally in the region, those would return to the country with a heavier toll in the future, said the country's president on Saturday.

Speaking in an opening ceremony in the western Turkish province of Izmir, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey's policies on Syria and Libya are "neither an adventure nor an arbitrary choice."

Stressing the power changes in the region, Erdogan underlined the importance of locating Turkey in a right position, and said that the country has been fighting for a new war of liberation as a country and nation.

"Sometimes, the interests of our country and other powers conflict in this struggle. […] Turkey has enough power and capacity to pursue an independent policy and implement this on the ground," he said.

Referring to Turkey's strategy in the region, Erdogan said that after phone calls with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday, a roadmap was drawn.

In a phone conversation on Friday, Erdogan told Putin that the Assad regime must show restraint and the humanitarian crisis must end in Idlib. He went on to say that resolving the crisis unfolding in Idlib hinges on full implementation of the 2018 Sochi deal.

Both leaders reiterated their commitment to all agreements reached concerning Syria.

In a joint phone call with his French counterpart Macron and German Chancellor Merkel on Friday, Erdogan also said the aggression by the Syrian regime and its supporters in Idlib should come to an end.

Idlib, near Turkey's southern border, falls within a de-escalation zone laid out in a deal between Turkey and Russia in late 2018.

The Syrian regime and its allies, however, have consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the territory where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

The de-escalation zone is currently home to about 4 million civilians, including hundreds of thousands displaced in recent years by regime forces throughout the war-torn country.

Some 1 million Idlib refugees have moved towards the Turkish border in recent months, fleeing attacks by the Assad regime and its allies, and causing a desperate humanitarian situation.

Turkey has called for an immediate halt to the attacks on Idlib, and for the cease-fire to be followed, warning that if the attacks do not stop, Turkey will take action. -