According to when announced by the “Anadolu” agency, Recep Tayyip Erdogn declared that there are no disputes between Turkey and Russia regarding the “Olive Branch” operation taking place in the northern regions of Syria.
"We do not have any conflict with Russia regarding operations in Afrin. At Idlib, work is underway for the development of observation posts, and eight have already been created ".
Erdogan then announced that, similar to the Soci meetings, a new meeting between Russia, Turkey and Iran should be held in Istanbul in the near future where all matters of common interest can be discussed. Regarding the purchase of arms and other war material from Russia, Erdogan said that Turkey "will not ask other countries how best to ensure national security". Finally, the Turkish president reiterated his criticisms of the United States regarding the non-withdrawal of the Kurdish militias of the People's Protection Units (YPG) from Manbij.
The Turkish army, special departments of the Turkish police and gendarmerie, backed by the Free Syrian Army (FSA, a Turkish-backed Syrian opposition group) are waging intense fighting around and inside the village of Raju, about 45 kilometers north-west of Afrin, the main target of "Olive branch".
The firing of March 1 against the Upg, which resulted in the death of eight Turkish soldiers and the wounds of thirteen others, are clear evidence that the clashes are growing in intensity.
According to a report by the Ankara General Staff, the toll of Turkish losses since the start of "Olive Branch" has risen to 40, in addition to 116 FSA militiamen killed during the fighting. According to Turkish commands, YPG losses amount to at least 2.295 “neutralized” fighters. With this term, the Ankara General Staff specifies that it means the Kurdish militiamen killed, wounded or surrendered since the beginning of "Olive branch".
On January 20, Turkey launched the "Olive branch" operation in the Afrin region, on the border between Turkey and Syria, with the support of the FSA with the aim of securing the border between Turkey and Syria , eliminating the Ypg. These are the militias of the Democratic Union party (Pyd), a group of Syrian Kurds who are part of the opposition to the government of Damascus.
Turkish authorities judge US-backed Pyd and Ypg terrorist groups for their ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Committed for years in a separatist struggle against Turkey, the PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Ankara, the United States and the European Union.
For the Turkish president Erdogan, the "Olive branch" operation in Afrin, later extended to Azaz and also including Manbij, aims to prevent the formation of a "corridor of terror" used by PKK, Pyd and Ypg on the border between Turkey and Syria.
The Damascus government has repeatedly declared that the "Olive Branch" constitutes an aggression and a threat to the territorial integrity of Syria. In recent days, units loyal to the Damascus authorities have entered Afrin to support the YPG against the Turkish offensive in the region.