Turkey's Foreign Ministry condemned Thursday the recent statements of Czech President Milos Zeman, who targeted Turkey with slander associating the country with the Daesh terrorist organization.
In a press release, the foreign ministry said "we are not accepting the Czech President Milos Zeman's remarks which are false and full of slander directed at our country and President and condemning those remarks."
The statement added that "while Turkey has been continuing its resolute fight against various terrorist groups, it also contributes to the safety of Europe."
Stressing that Turkey has eliminated nearly 4,000 Daesh fighters with Operation Euphrates Shield and previous operations conducted with the Global Coalition against Daesh , the statement emphasized the fact that Turkey has, thus become the country which has contributed most to the weakening of the terrorist group.
Previously, Turkey conducted two offensives in northern Syria: Operation Olive Branch and Operation Euphrates Shield. The first was launched by Ankara to clear its borders of Daesh terrorists while the second was to prevent the People's Protection Units' (YPG) ultimate plan of establishing an autonomous region in northern Syria.
"In a period where xenophobia and anti-Islamic sentiment is on the rise, the responsibility of those who occupy the highest position in countries is not to mislead public opinion with baseless allegations but to direct them to objective information," the statement underscored.
