ANKARA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2019) Russia and Turkey are discussing the situation in the northwestern Syrian city of Tall Rifat, Turkish Vice President Fuat Oktay said on Sunday.
Tall Rifat is located in the province of Aleppo, at the border between those territories of Aleppo's Afrin district that the Turkish military and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) opposition group seized in 2018 and those territories that are controlled by the Syrian Army loyal to the central government as well as by Kurdish militia groups.
"Representatives of Russia and Turkey are discussing the situation in Syrian Tall Rifat. We [Turkey] will continue our operation until we eliminate the threat at our borders," Oktay said, as aired by Kanal 7 broadcaster.
An FSA source told Sputnik earlier that the FSA and Turkey were preparing an operation to gain control over Tall Rifat, located at the Turkish border. However, there has not been any official confirmation.
Turkey announced in 2018 that it was launching an operation against Kurdish units in Afrin, seen as a threat to the Turkish national security. In March 2018, the Turkish Army and armed groups, including the FSA, seized Afrin, which had been previously controlled by Kurdish units. As of now, tens of thousands of Kurdish refugees are staying in neighboring Tall Rifat.
Damascus has condemned Turkish steps in Afrin, stressing that this is an integral part of Syria. Moscow, which is a guarantor of the Syrian ceasefire, along with Turkey and Iran, has called on all the sides to show restraint and respect the territorial integrity of Syria.
