Azernews.Az

By Gunay Hasanova

Turkish Minister for EU affairs has refuted reports that there had been a cease-fire agreement between Turkey and the Democratic Union Party (PYD, the Kurdish political party) in Syria.

The ceasefire between Turkey and PYD is out of question, Celik said in an interview with Anadolu Agency on August 31.

Celik added that Turkey's position regarding PYD is clear, it is a terrorist organization and it will be fully destroyed.

Some media outlets reported early Wednesday that Turkey and PYD in Syria signed a temporary ceasefire agreement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Barack Obama will discuss the details of the temporary ceasefire during the G-20 summit to be held in China on September 3, media reported.

Ankara considers the PYD and its armed wing, the YPG, to be the Syrian offshoots of the PKK terror group, which has waged war on Turkey for decades, and has declared their presence west of the Euphrates a red line.

On August 24 morning, the Turkish Air Force with the support of the coalition aircrafts launched an operation to liberate the city of Jarabulus from the IS militants in northern Syria, near Aleppo city.

The operation was carried out under the name “Shield of the Euphrates.” Jarabulus is located 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Turkish-Syrian border.

Previously, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that this operation will continue until the PYD militants are completely liquidated.

Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed over 500,000 lives.

Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The “Islamic State” (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh), the YPG and the PYD are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.

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