Turkey "never asks permission" from anyone before launching a military operation in Syria, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said today, quoted by AFP.

"We may exchange ideas, but we have never asked and will never ask for authorization for our military operations against terrorism," he said, again warning that "it could happen suddenly overnight."

At a trilateral summit with Iran and Russia on Tuesday in Tehran, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has threatened a Turkish military operation in Syria since May, said he was counting on "Russia and Iran's support in the fight against terrorism".

Cavusoglu: Turkey will be forced to carry out an operation in Syria in the event of an increase in threats to it

However, his two colleagues clearly warned against any operation in northeastern Syria that would be detrimental to the region.

Since 2016, Turkey has launched three major military operations in Syria targeting Kurdish militias and organizations, and an offensive in early 2020 against Syrian regime forces.

Part of northern Syria is controlled by the People's Protection Forces, which Ankara considers an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, as well as the United States and the European Union.

Mevlut Cavusoglu

Turkey-Syria