US must stop transfer of PKK/PYD terrorists from Manbij to Afrin: presidential spox

Turkish Presidential Spokesman İbrahim Kalın said on Wednesday that Washington must stop the moving of terrorists from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)’s Syrian offshoot, the PYD/YPG, from the occupied Syrian city of Manbij to Afrin.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is a PKK/PYD terror front, said that it is sending a large number of its fighters to battle in Afrin against the Turkish forces.

Speaking to reporters in Ankara, Kalın addressed the ongoing bloodshed in Syria’s Eastern Ghouta, stressing that Turkey is working to expand the current five-hour ceasefire into a general one.

Kalın pointed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will discuss the situation in Eastern Ghouta with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani, on Wednesday.

Kalın said Turkey has received information that an Exxon Mobil ship is heading towards the east Mediterranean for oil and gas exploration, amid a row between Ankara and Cyprus on the issue.

Kalın stated that Turkey would continue to preserve its rights concerning hydrocarbon exploration in the region. Last month Turkish military manoeuvres prevented a vessel charted by Italy's state-controlled Eni reaching an area Cyprus has licensed for drilling.

On the subject of Syrian refugee funds, Kalın said that while the process is proceeding, it has not been as speedy or effective as it needs to be.

“For its part, Turkey concluded all efforts and coordination to ensure that the 2nd $3 billion [from the EU] would be transferred and distributed to Syrian refugees in a quick manner.”

Turkey and the EU signed a $7.2 billion deal for the relocation of Syrian refugees in March 2015.