Erdogan: No retreat from the "spring of peace" and do not negotiate with the "terrorists"

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Sunday that Western threats to impose sanctions and ban arms exports would not push it to stop the ongoing "spring of peace" against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria.

"After we launched our operation, we faced threats such as economic sanctions and arms embargoes," Erdogan said in a televised address. "Those who think they can push Turkey back down through these threats are very wrong."

France and Germany announced on Saturday the suspension of arms exports to Turkey against the backdrop of the Turkish military operation against the YPG in northern Syria.

On the other hand, Erdogan stressed that his country refuses to negotiate with what he called "terrorist organizations", as well as reject the mediation put forward by the leaders of some countries in this context.

Erdogan said that "there are those who offer to mediate between us and the terrorist organization, how these became heads of government and countries? This is not understandable, when you see a country sitting at the negotiating table with a terrorist organization?" In reference to the YPG Kurdish Ankara considers a terrorist organization.

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he hoped the United States would be able to "mediate between Turkey and the Kurds" to resolve the current conflict.

The Turkish president also said his country's forces and their Syrian opposition allies would penetrate 30 to 35 kilometers into Syrian territory.

He stressed that the Turkish military force has the ability to destroy the area controlled by the "terrorist organization", but Turkey has a high sensitivity to the fall of civilians, he said.

Erdogan said 109 square kilometers had been effectively controlled so far through Operation Spring of Peace, stressing that military operations were not aimed at the Syrian people or the Kurds in Syria but "terrorists."

He also stressed that Turkey has not and will not allow the establishment of a "terrorist state" in northern Syria.

It is noteworthy that Turkey launched last Wednesday with the participation of Syrian armed opposition forces operation "spring of peace" east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria, to eliminate what Ankara calls the "terrorist corridor" there, and establish a safe area for the return of Syrian refugees to their country.