ANKARA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on Sunday that Turkey would not allow itself to be threatened by Iraq and Syria.
Speaking at a meeting of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in western Afyonkarahisar province, Erdogan emphasized that developments in Syria and Iraq are directly related to Turkey's national security.
"Turkey would not allow a terror corridor established along its border, from Syria's Afrin toward the Mediterranean, "Erdogan noted.
"We are carrying out a strategy to eliminate security threats step by step instead of facing them in our own territory," he said."The Euphrates Shield Operation is the first step. Now another operation is underway in Idlib."
Erdogan said the process, which began yesterday and was implemented this morning, is continuing "without any problem."
"The efforts there (in Idlib) are continuing smoothly with our support for the Free Syrian Army(FSA)," the president said, adding he was keeping close contact with the front.
Erdogan also said that Turkey will cooperate with the FSA within Idlib, and with Russia outside the bounds of Idlib.
In his address to the AKP meeting, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim underlined Sunday that Ankara is in close cooperation with Russia during the operation and vowed to "provide security in Idlib."
Turkey announced the beginning of a new military operation into Idlib province in Syria Saturday as part of a deal with Russia and Iran, in an attempt to create de-escalation zones.
Turkish military deployed Saturday fully-equipped commando units along its Syrian border.
