Turkish parliament prolongs mandate on holding military operations in Syria

The Turkish parliament has voted to prolong the mandate on holding military operations in Syria and Iraq for one more year.

According to the results of the vote, the mandate on Turkish presence in neighboring countries has been prolonged until October 30, 2020, TASS reported.

In accordance with the mandate, the Turkish army can hold military operations outside its territory, in Syria and Iraq. It also allows placing contingents and military bases of states supporting the Turkish military or involved in transborder operations on the territory of Turkey.

On October 1, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that Ankara planned to create a safety zone east of the Euphrates River in Syria on its own as it had failed to achieve the desired result in talks with the U.S.