Macron to Erdogan: Syrian Ceasefire Must Apply to Afrin Operation

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has discussed the new UN Security Council resolution on the Syrian ceasefire as well as Ankara’s operation in Afrin in a phone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday.

During the conversation between the two leaders, Macron stressed that the 30-day ceasefire "covered all Syrian territory, including Afrin, and must be put into effect everywhere and by everyone without delay", according to the French presidency.

Erdogan and Macron also touched upon the issues of bilateral relations.

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This comes as on Sunday Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag said that the latest UN Security Council’s resolution does not cover Turkey’s military operation in the Syrian region of Afrin against Kurdish militias as it is being conducted against terrorists.

On Saturday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2401 that urges all parties to the conflict to immediately stop all clashes and adhere to a long-term humanitarian pause on the entire territory of Syria in order to ensure the safe and unhindered humanitarian aid supplies as well as medical evacuation of those injured. The resolution underlined that the ceasefire regime does not apply to military operations against the Daesh, al-Qaeda, and Jabhat Fatah al Sham (formerly known as Nusra Front) terrorist groups.

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The Olive Branch operation was launched by Ankara on January 20. Ankara considers the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a Kurdish political party in northern Syria, and Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia affiliates of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) listed as a terror organization in Turkey. Damascus has expressed its opposition to the Turkish operation, saying that such actions violated Syrian sovereignty.