ANKARA (TASS) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not rule out that the operation on creation of a safety zone in Syria may start within days.

The Turkish President had said on October 1 that Ankara intended to act on its own to set up a safety zone east of the Euphrates River in Syria. In an address in Ankara on Saturday that was broadcast by A Haber TV channel, Erdogan stated:

The creation of a safety zone in Syria is the most rational way to return Syrians back home. We have decided to act independently. We will execute that operation both from the ground and from the air. Possibly today or tomorrow.

He added that the Turkish military forces are ready to stage an operation in the Arab republic. “We have finalized preparations and conducted required instruction”, Erdogan said.

The discussion on creating a buffer zone began back in 2013 because of the conflict in Syria. The possibility of creating a no-fly zone and a zone of security on Syrian soil for refugees was considered then, too. Ankara has raised this subject every year since, but each time the plans had to be aborted for varying reasons.