Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has voiced a proposal to control the US troops' pullout from Syria jointly with Russia and Iran.
READ MORE: US Syria Withdrawal Must Be Planned in Cooperation With Right Partners — Erdogan
"The United States has been facing several difficulties amid the process of withdrawing troops from Syria. We want to coordinate this process jointly with Russia and Iran, with which we had arranged work in the framework of the Astana process. [It is needed] in order for terrorist organisations not to fill in the void [following the US pullout]," the Turkish top diplomat stated.
Previously, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, commenting on Bolton's statement regarding a possible Turkish operation against Kurdish forces, criticised him by saying that Turkey could never compromise on the issue of the Kurdish YPG militia, as, according to the president, they had never actually fought against Daesh*.
In December, US President Donald Trump declared victory over Daesh and announced that as a result, US forces would soon be coming home.
However, on 7 January Donald Trump emphasised that US forces would leave Syria in a prudent way and would continue to fight the Daesh terrorist group.
READ MORE: Trump: US to Leave Syria 'At Proper Pace' While Continuing to Fight Daesh
On Sunday, Bolton said the planned US withdrawal of nearly 2,000 troops from Syria will be contingent upon finalising an agreement with Turkey that protects Kurdish fighters in the region.
Turkey, along with Russia and Iran, is the guarantor of the ceasefire in Syria. In its turn, Moscow hsa been actively involved in diplomatic efforts on settlement of the conflict, supporting the Syrian government forces' fight against terrorist groups and providing humanitarian aid to civilians.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia
