Turkey not optimistic on Syria ceasefire

Turkey’s Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, previously stated that the YPG have carried out the bombing in collaboration with Turkey’s Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an organization defined as a terrorist one by both, Turkey and the U.S. The PKK did actually take credit for the bombing but have not confirmed any YPG implication.

Turkey’s Health Ministry says a man injured in last week’s suicide auto bomb attack in Ankara has died of his wounds, raising the death toll to 29.

Turkish officials appear to be hoping that the Ankara bombings, and the dubious claims of YPG involvement, will force the USA into shifting their policy.

In the Ankara blast which was carried out at the Turkish Armed Forces General Staff and Military Dormitory, 28 people were killed, 20 of them high-ranking military pilots.

Turkey has, in turn, demanded unequivocal support from the US against the Kurds.

Turkey has said it was not optimistic over the implementation of a Syria ceasefire announced by the United States and Russian Federation, threatening to keep up retaliatory artillery strikes against Syrian Kurdish fighters.

He said that terrorism in Turkey and developments within the scope of counter terrorism and the developments around Turkey were discussed during the meeting.

Russia, an old Turkey’s rival, is expanding its presence around Turkish borders, in Syria to the south, in Crimea and Ukraine to the north and in Armenia to the East.

“Despite all the provocations and attacks by the Turkish army on the border of Rojava [Syrian Kurdish area] we have not responded and acted in a historic responsible manner”, the statement said. It was formed in 2004 as a militia to combat Syrian government forces, and Turkey accuses it of being affiliated with the PKK.

Ankara’s “constant refusal” to cooperate genuinely “seems to be working against” Erdogan, “further discrediting Turkey as an ally and further diminishing its role as a serious actor in regional politics”.

Turkish leaders said they have identified the perpetrator of the attack as a Syrian national. Since then Russian Federation has announced a number of sanctions against Turkey. Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah is also in support of the Syrian government.

The Syrian government says that it accepts a proposed truce in the country, adding that operations will continue against the Islamic State group and al-Qaida’s branch in Syria.

“Turkey will defend its territorial integrity”.