Turkey vows to retaliate PYD attacks in Afrin, Russian charge d’affaires invited in Ankara

Russian charge d’affaires in Ankara was invited to Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday and Turkey’s discomfort with the sniper fire from PYD-controlled area in northwestern Syria’s Afrin killing one soldier was expressed, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Huseyin Muftuoglu said in a press conference on Thursday.

Upon the ceasefire deal brokered by Turkey, Iran and Russia in Astana talks, Muftuoglu said that Russia is responsible for monitoring ceasefire violations in the area. He said the charge d’affaires was asked to what is necessary to prevent the violations, or Turkey will retaliate against the attacks. He noted that coordination between Turkey and Russia is the most effective method to curb these violations.

Russian troops are currently present in the area, which is controlled by the PYD, the Syrian offshoot of PKK terror organization. Muftuoglu said that Turkey’s position on the presence of Russian troops in the region was reiterated.

Turkey expects Russia to take necessary steps for the closure of PYD’s office in Moscow, Muftuoglu said.

Restrictive measures pose challenges to materialize the common will to increase the trade volume between Turkey and Russia, Muftuoglu added.