Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has urged world leaders attending the G20 summit in China to set up a "safe zone" in Syria that would be free from fighting and help stem the flow of refugees from the country.
Speaking in Hangzhou on September 5, he said he had called specifically for a "no-fly zone" in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama.
He also said the Turkish offensive in Syria was aimed at driving the Islamic State (IS) extremist organization away from Turkey's border and ensure the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia did not expand in the area.
Turkey says both IS and the YPG are terrorist organizations.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on September 4 that government forces and Syrian rebels have completely expelled IS extremists from the Syrian-Turkish border.
"From Azaz to Jarabulus, our 91-kilometer border has been completely secured. All terrorist organizations have been repulsed and they have gone," Yildirim said on September 4 during a televised speech while visiting the southeastern city of Diyarbakir.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
