Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 16
By Orkhan Quluzade - Trend:
The expected military operation of the Turkish army in Syria is intended to stop a new wave of refugees from that country, believes Salihe Kaya, a researcher at Turkey-based Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research.
"Turkey's main goal is to create a safe zone in Syria," Kaya told Trend Feb. 16. "Syrian refugees will be resettled there."
Currently, Turkey hosts more than two million Syrian refugees on its soil.
Syrian refugee camps in the country accommodate about 300,000 people. The rest of them are spread across the provinces and cities of Turkey.
In Istanbul alone, there are currently 40,000 refugees from Syria. Turkey has so far spent over $10 billion to upkeep the Syrian refugees.
The expert also believes that Turkey's expected operations can lead to a military confrontation with Russia in Syria.
Kaya also doesn't rule out that if Ankara launches a military operation in Syria, Turkey will have to clear a corridor, stretching from its border to the Syrian city of Aleppo, from militants of the "Islamic State" terrorist group.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said earlier that Turkey doesn't exclude the possibility of its participation in the land military operations in Syria if Saudi Arabia launches such an operation there.
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