Trump: We will destroy Turkey economically if the Kurds attack after the withdrawal of our troops from Syria and we will establish a safe area with a width of 20 miles and the Kurds not to “provoke” Ankara
US President Donald Trump on Sunday warned Turkey of an economic disaster if it launched an offensive against the Kurds after US troops withdrew from Syria, calling on the Kurds not to “provoke” Ankara.
Trump tweeted that the United States “will destroy Turkey economically if attacked the Kurds”, adding, “Similarly, we don’t want the Kurds to provoke Turkey”.
“Russia, Iran and Syria were the biggest beneficiaries of the long-term US policy of destroying the Islamic state organization in Syria,” Trump tweeted.
“We have also benefited from this, but now is the time to bring our troops home.
Stop the endless wars!”
Starting the long overdue pullout from Syria while hitting the little remaining ISIS territorial caliphate hard, and from many directions. Will attack again from existing nearby base if it reforms. Will devastate Turkey economically if they hit Kurds. Create 20 mile safe zone….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 13, 2019
For its part, the Turkish government responded to Trump’s tweet, through the official spokesman of the Turkish Presidency Ibrahim Kalin, who also responded with two tweets, where Kalin said: It is a fatal mistake to equate Syrian Kurds with the PKK, which is on the US terrorists list, and its Syria branch PYD/YPG.
Turkey fights against terrorists, not Kurds.
We’ll protect Kurds and other Syrians against all terrorist threats.
At the second tweet Kalin continued saying: Terrorists can’t be your partners & allies.
Turkey expects the US to honor our strategic partnership and doesn’t want it to be shadowed by terrorist propaganda.
There is no difference between DAESH, PKK, PYD and YPG.
We will continue to fight against them all.
Mr @realDonaldTrump It is a fatal mistake to equate Syrian Kurds with the PKK, which is on the US terrorists list, and its Syria branch PYD/YPG. Turkey fights against terrorists, not Kurds. We will protect Kurds and other Syrians against all terrorist threats. https://t.co/Yyzgyp9RQ4
— İbrahim Kalın (@ikalin1) January 13, 2019
Mr @realDonaldTrump Terrorists can’t be your partners & allies. Turkey expects the US to honor our strategic partnership and doesn’t want it to be shadowed by terrorist propaganda.
There is no difference between DAESH, PKK, PYD and YPG. We will continue to fight against them all. https://t.co/Yyzgyp9RQ4— İbrahim Kalın (@ikalin1) January 13, 2019
For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Mouloud Ghawishoglu said on Monday that his country had informed the United States of its fear of any threat, and that Washington could not achieve the goals by threatening to “destroy” Turkey’s economy.
This statement came at a press conference with Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, in which he responded to threats by US President Donald Trump to “destroy” the Turkish economy if Ankara strikes what he called the “Kurds” in Syria.
“We have told Washington that Turkey is not threatening any threat, and the goals cannot be met by economic threats,” said Ghawishoglu.
“Strategic partners do not speak through social media”, Ghawishoglu said.
He warned that it would not be possible to reach a satisfactory conclusion if the PKK terrorist organization and the Kurds were equal.
He pointed out that Washington’s proposal to establish a “safe zone” in northern Syria came after its vision and determination of Turkey, pointing out in this context that Ankara didn’t oppose this step in principle.
The Turkish foreign minister noted that President Trump is under pressure from his security services after announcing the decision to withdraw from Syria.
Ghawishoglu said that Trump had contacted former Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and informed him of his intention to withdraw his troops from Syria and his desire to achieve this step in coordination with Turkey.
“Two days ago I met with my colleague Mike Pompeo by telephone, and during the bilateral meetings between the two countries, we discussed the details of the resolution and how to coordinate, and the idea of establishing a safe area in the north of Syria for a distance of 30 kilometers is not the idea of Washington, But the idea of President Erdogan”.
He pointed out that Erdogan did not propose the idea of a safe area on the United States, but presented the proposal to all European countries and Russia and anyone interested in developments in the situation in Syria.
“We’re not opposed to a safe zone, our goal is terrorism.
In the Syrian north there is a terrorist corridor that threatens our national security and wants to divide Syria, and we want to remove this corridor”, he said.
He reiterated that Turkey was the biggest defender of Kurdish rights in the region and that it was wrong to equate Kurds with terrorist organizations.
“The Trump situation is very difficult at this time, it is under pressure from its security agencies, especially after the decision to withdraw from Syria, and Turkey is aware that Trump’s recent statements addressed to the American interior”.
He added: “If we choose between economic difficulties and terrorist threats, our people will say that I am satisfied with hunger and thirst, but I do not accept submission”.
He stressed that Turkey doesn’t respond to the threat language used by Trump and rejects his recent statement to Ankara, and that everyone, including Washington, respect Turkey.
