Turkey will begin new hostilities in Syria as soon as preparations are completed on the border with the Arab Republic, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last Monday, the Yeni Şafak newspaper reported today, June 28.

After presiding over a cabinet meeting in Ankara, the head of state also said that "anti-terrorist" operations in Northern Iraq are continuing successfully.

Regarding the upcoming North Atlantic Alliance summit in Spain, Erdogan said:

"Tomorrow we will go to the NATO summit in Spain, and we will do everything that is necessary, in accordance with the rights and interests of our country."

The Turkish leader further pointed to the "hypocrisy" shown by some Western countries against "terrorist organizations" — such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the network of the Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen (FETO).

Earlier this month, the pro-government newspaper Yeni Şafak published ten demands Ankara to Sweden and Finland, which must be satisfied before the Middle Eastern member country of the alliance gives its consent to its expansion at the expense of two Scandinavian candidates.

Turkey should refrain from launching a new operation in Syria. Moscow has already expressed its concerns to Ankara. This, as reported by EADaily, the special representative of the President of Russia for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev said on June 16 following the results of the 18th international meeting in the Astana format.

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