Russia has said it is working to prevent a conflict between advancing Turkish and Syrian government forces, as Turkey’s president defied growing pressure from Western allies for a ceasefire in northern Syria. Turkey’s president says he will not halt its military offensive in north-east Syria (Cavit Ozgul/AP)Now in its eighth day, Turkey’s offensive against Kurdish fighters has increasingly strained relations with its Nato allies. But Mr Erdogan told journalists that he had rejected US offers to mediate. Referring to Syrian Kurdish fighters, he said: “We would never sit around (the negotiating) table with a terror organisation.”He also said Turkey was “not concerned” by the sanctions. On Tuesday, the Kremlin said Mr Erdogan accepted an invitation to visit Russia in the “nearest days”, without providing further details.

Source: Irish Independent October 16, 2019 10:18 UTC