Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, January 15, 2019. (Reuters photo)
ANKARA, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- Turkey will never allow that the implementation of a safe zone in Syria be turned into "swamp" like in northern Iraq, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday.
Speaking at an event in Ankara, Erodgan said the planning 32-km safe zone in northern Syria must not be another new ground against Turkey, adding that its aim should be keeping terrorist organizations away from Turkey's border.
Turkey has "no eye" on Syria's territorial integrity, Erdogan said, but has almost completed preparations to launch a cross-border military operation if security promises made to Ankara weren't kept.
Erdogan also noted that he will travel to Russia on Wednesday to discuss the Syrian crisis with President Vladimir Putin.
During a phone conversation held late Sunday, Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to accelerate talks between their chiefs of staff regarding a safe zone in northern Syria, as a jointly measure to keep regional stability after the U.S. troops' withdrawal from Syria.
