Turkey confirms its intention to establish a security corridor along its borders with Iraq and Syria

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler announced that his country is determined to establish a security corridor 30-40 kilometers deep along the borders with Iraq and Syria and cleanse the region of Kurdistan Workers' Party militants. In a statement today, Wednesday, the Turkish Ministry of Defense quoted Minister Guler in an interview with Politico magazine as saying: 'We are determined to establish a security corridor 30 to 40 kilometers deep along our borders with Iraq and Syria and completely cleanse the region of terrorists. We will continue operations until the last terrorist is neutralized ". Regarding NATO, Guler said: 'We completely reject the claim that Turkey is untrustworthy; there is no such thing. It is unreasonable for us to have the same views on every issue in an environment where 32 allies come together.' He added: "There are countries trying to create such a perception, and so far Turkey has been the only country that has been able to bring together the two sides of the war (Russia and Ukr aine) in high-level talks. We will not allow the Black Sea to turn into a strategic battlefield." The minister noted that Turkey aims to "create a completely independent defense industry based on local and national production, thus strengthening the country's economy and contributing to Turkey's independence." He said: "The mentioned military technologies are different, starting with land, sea and air, drones, helicopters, weapons, smart munitions, missiles, air defense systems and electronic warfare." He stated that Turkey has exported much of this technology to other countries. The Turkish Minister stressed that the search by the European Union member allies for alternatives 'outside the security umbrella of NATO' would harm the alliance's unity and solidarity. He added: 'The most effective security organization in the Euro-Atlantic region is NATO, and while we understand the efforts that Europe is making to enhance its security, we believe that there is no need for another organization. Source: Nati onal Iraqi News Agency