Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday he would not meet with US Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to Ankara to discuss Turkey’s military operation in Syria.
“I am standing tall. I will not meet with them,” he told Sky News, referring to Pence and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“They will meet with their counterparts. I will speak when Trump comes,” he said.
Earlier Wednesday, Erdogan said that the only option for Kurdish militants in Syria was to give up the battle and retreat.
“Our proposal is that right now, tonight, all the terrorists lay down their arms, their equipment and everything, destroy all their traps and get out of the safe zone that we have designated,” he said, adding that this would be “the quickest way of solving the problem in Syria.”
Erdogan made the comments in Parliament amid pressure for him to call a ceasefire and halt Turkey’s incursion into Syria, now in its eighth day. Ankara’s assault against Kurdish forces has prompted a chorus of international condemnation.
Erdogan made clear Turkey would not bow to pressure and would press ahead with the military operation until Turkish troops reach a depth of some 30 or 35 kilometers (18 to 21 miles) inside Syria. He also called on the world to support Turkey’s battle against Kurdish groups it considers “terrorists” for their links to an insurgency within its own borders.
