Syrian Opposition Says Turkey's Operation Peace Spring Meets Strategic Goals

Syrian Opposition Says Turkey's Operation Peace Spring Meets Strategic Goals

Syria's opposition supports the Turkish military offensive in northeastern Syria, dubbed Operation Peace Spring, as it reaches strategic goals with regard to Syria's territorial integrity as well as political settlement, Ahmed Tomah, the head of the Syrian opposition delegation at the Astana-14 talks, told Sputnik on the sidelines of the meeting

NUR-SULTAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th December, 2019) Syria's opposition supports the Turkish military offensive in northeastern Syria, dubbed Operation Peace Spring, as it reaches strategic goals with regard to Syria's territorial integrity as well as political settlement, Ahmed Tomah, the head of the Syrian opposition delegation at the Astana-14 talks, told Sputnik on the sidelines of the meeting.

The two-day Astana talks, which comprise representatives of Russia, Iraq, Turkey, as well as the Syrian government and opposition, began in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan on Tuesday. Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq are present as observer states.

"We strongly supported the Operation Peace Spring, because it achieves strategic goals for us on the territorial integrity in Syria. A large number of Syrian refugees has returned to their home, and this in itself is a positive thing. It [the operation] contributes to the process of political settlement," Tomah said.

He added that was certain the Turkish military would withdraw from Syrian soil once the operation was over.

Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring in early October to clear the northeastern part of Syria of Kurdish militia, who Ankara label as terrorists. Turkey and Russia signed on October 22 a memorandum that set the conditions for the peaceful withdrawal of Kurdish forces, as well as the groundwork for joint patrols to ensure the agreement's implementation.