ERBIL Turkey's National Security Council on Wednesday said that the Turkish army will continue its operations in both Iraq and Syria despite the concerns by the two neighboring country's leaders in this regard.
In a statement issued after a meeting led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the council said that the cross-border military operations have been aimed at eliminating "terrorism and its sources while respecting the sovereign rights and territorial integrity of its neighbors," and that they were carried out to establish security and peace in the two neighboring countries.
"Our military operations to eliminate terrorist organizations along our southern borders and ensure border security will continue in the upcoming period," he added.
It added that "Turkey will stick to its position on the use of the right of self-defense, which stems from the international law."
Turkey views the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as a terrorist organisation and the two sides are in a military conflict over the past three decades, while the armed group has positions in the border areas of Kurdistan Region.