"Current and future military operations being conducted on Turkey’s southern borders do not target the territorial integrity of its neighbors, but stem from national security needs and will contribute to their security as well," the National Security Council (MGK) said in a statement.
In a three-hour meeting chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and attended by relevant ministers and commanders, operations and investigations against terrorist groups like the PKK/YPG, the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and Daesh were discussed. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.
The MGK called on countries harboring terrorist groups and violating international law to drop this position and pay attention to Ankara's security concerns, highlighting that Turkey fulfills its obligations in international organizations and alliances with the spirit of an ally and in accordance with the principle of pacta sunt servanda, meaning agreements must be kept.
On Monday, President Erdogan said Turkey would take steps to complete the remainder of a 30-kilometer (18-mile) safe zone along its southern border.
Turkey borders Syria and Iraq to its south, and has worked to eliminate existing terrorist bases and prevent new ones that would threaten its national security and the safety of locals across its borders.
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