ALEPPO, Syria — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan responded positively to US President Donald Trump's proposal to form a safe zone in the Syrian territory near the border with Turkey in the areas now controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“The safe zone issue, including one to be formed by us along Turkey’s borders — an issue that I have been raising since the Obama era — was repeated by [Trump] him as 20 miles [32 kilometers],” Erdogan said in a speech at the Turkish parliament Jan. 15 before the ruling Justice and Development Party bloc. This comes after his telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump on Jan. 14.

On Jan. 23, Erdogan held talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. At a joint press conference following their meeting, Putin said they discussed the US withdrawal and the situation in Idlib, stressing the need to take additional steps on Idlib and not to underestimate the terrorists.

Commenting on the safe zone in northern Syria, he said, “We respect the interests of our Turkish friends, especially with regard to security.”