Turkey will continue its involvement in Syria and Iraq, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday.
"We will always be involved in all developments in Syria and Iraq. We are determined to stand by our brothers and sisters, who are fighting against terrorist organizations, through our diplomatic and military might if necessary,” Erdogan said at a meeting with mukhtars (village and neighborhood administrators) at the Presidential Complex in Ankara.
Erdogan stressed that Turkey would not allow Iraq to be drawn into a sectarian war.
As military operations to retake the country's northern Iraqi city of Mosul from Daesh began last week, some have voiced concern for the possible consequence of a sectarian conflict in the region.
They have voiced warnings against the direct involvement of Shia militias in liberating the city following allegations that such groups have committed atrocities against the Sunni population in other parts of Iraq.
"We cannot leave our brothers and sisters alone in Mosul and Kirkuk," Erdogan said.
He reiterated that Turkey had never made any demands about taking any territory from Mosul.
"We have no eyes on any other country's territory. On the contrary, we are against anyone who has eyes on those countries where our brothers and sisters live, and who want to lead them to new conflicts based on ethnic and sectarian differences," he said.
Erdogan also repeated Turkey's warning that it would dislodge the PYD/PKK from Manbij should the terrorist group not leave the northwestern Syrian district as promised.