Turkey: 'We will not take the slightest step back in Idlib' – Erdogan

W/S Parliamentarians applauding Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he arrives, Ankara
M/S Erdogan waving to parliamentarians
W/S Turkish parliament *CUTAWAY*
SOT, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President (Turkish): "Unfortunately, Russia does not want to accept this humanitarian sensitivity. But the watching is running out of time for those who surround our surveillance towers. Whatever it takes, we're planning once to get our surveillance towers out from under siege at the end of this month or another. It is now undeniable that the [Syrian] regime is not saving its own territory, but destroying its own people and leaving the region in the hands of sectarian fanatics, many of whom have been brought from the outside." *MULTIPLE SHOTS AT SOURCE*
W/S Parliamentarians clapping Erdogan
SOT, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President (Turkish): "We strengthen and strengthen our military presence in Idlib to ensure the security of our soldiers at our observation and checkpoints and to protect the people from the persecution of the Assad regime. Our biggest problem right now is that we can't use airspace. Hopefully soon we'll find a way to do that. At the same time, we run diplomatic channels to the end. We would like to remind those who think they can accept what they want by cornering Turkey. This geography has satiated and swallowed many of those who see themselves as great, like an anaphore without even realising what it is, it should be known. We're not guests of this geography, we're the hosts. For this reason, we will not take the slightest step back in Idlib, we will surely take the regime out of the borders we have set, we will ensure the return of the people home. As Turkey, we are committed to this issue and we risk all kinds of sacrifices." *MULTIPLE SHOTS AT SOURCE*
M/S People applauding Erdogan
SCRIPT
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that “we will not take the slightest step back in Idlib,” while speaking in front of the Turkish Parliament in Ankara on Wednesday.
“We strengthen and strengthen our military presence in Idlib to ensure the security of our soldiers at our observation and checkpoints,” said Erdogan, adding “Our biggest problem right now is that we can't use airspace. Hopefully soon we'll find a way to do that.”
The Turkish president also stated that “Whatever it takes, we're planning once to get our surveillance towers out from under siege at the end of this month or another.”
In recent days clashes have broken out between the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Turkish-backed militants in Idlib province.
On Thursday, February 20, Ankara-backed militants reportedly targeted SAA forces in the Idlib countryside, seeking to establish control of Nayrab, a getaway to the strategic city of Saraqib.