Erdogan confirms the return of hundreds of thousands of displaced people to northern Syria and promises to return more

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that his country's military operation in northern Syria had helped return 365,000 Syrians to their homes, promised to return more, and defended the process and vowed to pursue "terrorist" organizations at home and abroad.

In a speech at the presidential compound in Ankara, Erdogan said Turkey's military operations against "terrorist organizations" in Syria had been successful and had brought security to more than 8,100 square kilometers.

"365,000 Syrians have returned to their lands, but we do not want to be content with that," he said in his speech marking the 81st anniversary of the death of founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

Erdogan stressed that his country's forces continue to pursue the "terrorist" organizations at home and abroad, and that its elements do not find inevitable at the moment.

In this context, Erdogan criticized the statements of the Turkish opposition that there is no reason for the survival of Turkish forces in Syria, adding that anyone who tries to sow discord among his countrymen will fail in his attempts "as it has in the past."

The Turkish president also considered that attempts to destabilize Turkey economically also failed, and that the Turkish economy thwarted all the conspiracies against him.

The Turkish Defense Ministry announced today that the operation "spring of peace" has resulted in the destruction and dismantling of 331 mines and 891 handmade bombs left behind by Kurdish units in northeastern Syria.

This comes a day after the Turkish presidency announced that Erdogan discussed with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin the Turkish military operation in Syria, and that they confirmed their commitment to the Sochi Agreement, which allowed the conduct of joint Russian and Turkish military patrols inside Syria, where three patrols were conducted during this month.

Erdogan is due to hold talks with US President Donald Trump in Washington on Wednesday.

Turkey halted its advance in northern Syria under an agreement with the United States, which called for the withdrawal of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) from the border area. Erdogan then struck a deal with Moscow, which also demanded the withdrawal of Kurdish units 30 kilometers from the Turkish border, but believes Washington and Moscow have not They have so far fulfilled their commitments under the two agreements.