While Operation Olive Branch (OOB), launched over the weekend to clean Afrin of People's Protection Units (YPG) militants, continues, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that the future of Turkish-U.S. relations depends on the U.S.'s approach to counterterrorism and that the U.S. should not hinder Turkey's efforts if it does not support them.

Çavuşoğlu said that the Afrin offensive complies with Article 51of the U.N. Charter, which concerns the right to self-defense, and added that Turkey informed the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, neighboring countries and NATO members before it launched the operation.

In response to a question whether the memorandum sent to the Syrian Consulate in Istanbul was the first contact with the Syrian regime, Çavuşoğlu said: "Some claim that this was kind of a first contact with the Syrian regime, but that's not true. We previously informed them about Operation Euphrates Shield. The Syrian Consulate in Istanbul wasn't closed down, and it continues to represent the Syrian state. In this respect, it's normal that we inform them. Yet, informing them doesn't mean we're trying to get their approval."

Çavuşoğlu also said that Russia was informed prior to the Afrin offensive so that Russian forces would not be caught in the crossfire and that Russian military observers withdrew from the region. Regarding a question whether Turkey would inform the U.S. if the operation extends to Manbij, Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey does not aim to cross any country, while legitimately fighting against terrorism and that Turkey is determined to eradicate terrorism from its borders.

"We provide the necessary information before launching an operation. We want the U.S. to not hinder our efforts if they don't support us. Terrorists in Manbij continuously harass the Free Syrian Army [FSA] and our troops in the Euphrates Shield region. If the US doesn't stop them, we will," Çavuşoğlu said.

"Our aim isn't to cross Russia, the Syrian regime or the U.S. We aim to fight against the [YPG] terrorist organization and incapacitate it. We will continue to inform them so an accident doesn't happen. This is also true east of Euphrates. If there is a threat to Turkey in Manbij, Afrin or northern Iraq, we will eradicate it. As long as there are terrorist elements on the other side of our borders, it is a threat to us," Çavuşoğlu said.

Pointing out that Turkey supports Syria's territorial integrity, Çavuşoğlu asserted that administration of the territories cleaned of the YPG would be left to the local populace. "The important thing is to give the land back to the local populace. This was also the case in Operation Euphrates Shield, and it is the only way. We will provide security, education and infrastructural support to the people. Why did 70,000 people return to the Euphrates Shield region? Because the cities were safe, and they feel secure in their own land."

"Why can 300,000 Kurds in Turkey not return to regions controlled by the YPG? Because the YPG doesn't allow them to. If we give the administration to the local populace, those who were forced to leave Afrin can return. I hope there will be a political resolution to this conflict in the near future so that all of these territories can once again belong to a unified Syria."

Saying that it is not possible to speculate about the Operation Olive Branch at this point, Çavuşoğlu continued that this is a technical issue. He asserted that Turkey's initial goal is to reach the Afrin city center and that they are determined to eradicate the YPG near the country's borders. "We are more determined than we were in Operation Euphrates Shield. We cleansed the terrorism there. There are more terrorists in this region, and we have to eliminate them all," Çavuşoğlu said.

In response to a question as to whether Turkey could face U.S. forces in the oncoming stages of the operation, Çavuşoğlu said that he would not discuss assumptions and that the future of Turkish-U.S. relations depended on the U.S.

"I can't discuss assumptions. Nevertheless, you see what our public feels and demands. I have relayed these to [U.S. Secretary of State Rex] Tillerson. We expressed the demands of our public clearly to them. The future of our relations relies on the steps the U.S. takes."

"Fighting against terrorism is of vital importance to me, and I will do whatever I have to do in this matter. If I don't, the future of our country will be in peril. We aren't afraid of anyone in this matter, and we are determined. It is better to be dead than living in fear – this is what our public feels."

Çavuşoğlu also said that Turkey would continue to use Syrian air space as long as needed. He cited Russia's concern about losing its influence over the YPG to the U.S. "We have told both Russia and the U.S. that the terrorist organization was using them. I believe Russia has seen the truth now."

Çavuşoğlu also asserted that Turkey supports Iraq's territorial integrity more than any country and that Iraqi people appreciate Turkey's honest and principled approach.

Saying there is an opportunity to carry relations with Iraq further, he added that the main agenda of his official visit to Baghdad was improving cooperation. "We talked about energy. Water is no longer an issue between the two countries. We are discussing the establishment of a new customs gate near Ovaköy. We also talked about repairing the oil pipeline and building a new one in Kirkuk. Turkey and Iraq are consolidating their relations. More than 500 women and child victims of Daesh could come to our country. We have discussed it all – increasing the trade volume, initiatives about transportation, transit goods to Qatar, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency's status, Iraq's reconstruction, education and health."