Erdoğan: Turkey Ready if the U.S. Decides to Withdraw from Northern Syria

Turkish media reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Wednesday that Turkey is ready if the United States decides to withdraw from northern Syria. In an interview with journalists on his way back from the G20 summit in Brazil, Erdoğan said that Turkey’s security is the priority, and that his country is in talks with Russia regarding the Syrian issue.

Erdoğan stated that his country is working to combat armed Kurdish groups in northeastern Syria and that the Damascus government should make similar efforts.

Speaking about the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG), Erdoğan said, “Just as we are making efforts to dry up this swamp, the Syrian government must also make the same effort.”

He added that his country is ready to deal with the current reality and the new situation that a possible U.S. withdrawal from Syria would create, stressing that Turkish national security “comes first.”