'Turkey has no chemical weapons'

ANKARA

Turkey's reports related to chemical weapons is "very clean," the head of the Turkish delegation to NATO Parliamentary Assembly said on Wednesday.

"Turkey's report related to chemical weapons is very clean. We do not have any chemical weapons," Berat Conkar told Anadolu Agency.

Conkar denied the allegations on Turkey's chemical weapons use during the Operation Peace Spring in the northern Syria.

"[The claims] are totally lie. We strictly deny these allegations," he said.

Conkar reminded that Turkey is a party to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (CWC) since 1997.

Turkey is also a party to all fundamental international instruments for non-proliferation and also a member of export control regimes.

On Oct. 9, Turkey launched Operation Peace Spring to eliminate 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 agreed with Washington on Oct. 17 to pause its operation for 120 hours to allow the withdrawal of YPG/PKK terrorists from the planned safe zone.

On Tuesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin held a "historic" meeting in the Black Sea resort town of Sochi just hours before the pause was set to expire.

Ankara and Moscow reached a deal under which YPG/PKK terrorists will pull back 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Turkey’s border with northern Syria within 150 hours and security forces from Turkey and Russia will start to conduct joint patrols in the region.

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

* Writing by Muhammet Emin Avundukluoglu