ANKARA

Ankara will build a model area inside the safe zone in northern Syria which was recently liberated from terrorists in a Turkey-led operation, said Vice President Fuat Oktay.  

“We are working on an area where the Syrians can live and the Syrians in Turkey can return voluntarily,” Oktay told Anadolu Agency’s Editors Desk on Wednesday.

"We are thinking of building an area in 2020 that can serve as a model, at least physically," he said, stressing this requires international financial support.

“We have to create a solution within Syria. We cannot face the problems caused by the world on our own,” Oktay added.

Turkey on Oct. 9 launched Operation Peace Spring to eliminate YPG/PKK terrorists from northern Syria east of the Euphrates River in order to secure Turkey’s borders, aid in the safe return of Syrian refugees, and ensure Syria’s territorial integrity.

Ankara wants YPG/PKK terrorists to withdraw from the region so a safe zone can be created to pave the way for the safe return of some two million refugees.

On Oct. 22, Ankara and Moscow reached a deal under which YPG/PKK terrorists would pull back 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) south of Turkey’s border with Syria, and security forces from Turkey and Russia would mount joint patrols there.

In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK -- listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU -- has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK's Syrian offshoot.

* Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur