President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday stated that Turkey would act on its plans in northern Syria if the safe zone planned with the U.S. bears no results.
"The 2-3 million Syrian refugees in Turkeyand Europe can be resettled in the safe zone east in northern Syria," Erdoğan said at an opening ceremony in capital Ankara.
If Western countries don't share the burden, Turkey can't shoulder the responsibility of 4 million Syrians, he added.
On Aug. 7, Turkish and U.S. military officials agreed to set up a safe zone in northern Syria and develop a peace corridor to facilitate the movement of displaced Syrians who want to return home. They also agreed to establish a joint operations center.
The agreement also envisaged setting up necessary security measures to address Turkey's security concerns, including clearing the zone of the terrorist YPG/PKK, a group the U.S. has sometimes been allied with, despite Turkey’s objections.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women and children. The YPG is the group's Syrian branch.
