Turkish army chief, NATO general discuss Manbij roadmap

By Selma Kasap

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey's Chief of General Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti on Wednesday discussed the Turkish-U.S. Manbij roadmap over the phone, according to Turkish military.

In a statement, the Turkish General Staff said Akar and Scaparrotti, who is also the Commander of U.S. European Command, addressed the implementation of the security principles in accordance with the Manbij roadmap.

The Manbij roadmap was announced after a June 4 meeting in Washington between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The deal focuses on the withdrawal of the PKK-affiliated YPG terror group from the northern Syrian city and on stability in the region.

Akar and Scaparrotti also discussed the current security situation in the north of Syria, the statement added.

The two, separately, exchanged views on some NATO-related issues.

Should the model prove a success, Turkey will push for a similar arrangement in eastern Syria.

If the Manbij model is successfully implemented, eastern Syria could eventually become a joint U.S.-Turkish zone of influence.

“This is very important because it fills a crucial gap left when the United Nations Security Council was prevented from renewing its own investigation in November,” it added.