OREANDA-NEWSTurkey supports a political solution to the Syrian crisis, not a military one. This statement was made on Monday in Istanbul by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu against the backdrop of the suspension of Ankara’s "Source of Peace" military operation in Syria.

“Turkey strongly supports the political process, the Syrian crisis cannot be resolved by military means,” the minister said. “We need to establish calm in the country and achieve a ceasefire in Syria for a political settlement”. Chavushoglu also once again criticized the United States for supporting the Kurdish Popular Self-Defense Forces, which Ankara is fighting in Syria.

Chavushoglu recalled that Kurdish forces in the alleged security zone in northeastern Syria had 35 hours left to leave it, otherwise the military operation "Source of Peace" would continue. Meanwhile, on Monday, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the events in Syria after the start of the Ankara military operation there took an undesirable turn. In his opinion, Russia, Turkey and the United States need to increase the level of security in the region.