Turkey not in direct talks with Syria, but its messages being conveyed: Erdogan spox

ANKARA - 21 February 2018: Turkey is not in direct talks with the Syrian government, but its messages are being indirectly conveyed to Damascus, President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman said on Wednesday.

Ibrahim Kalin also told a news conference that Ankara remains optimistic, but cautious, regarding ties with the United States after last week's visit to Ankara by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Pro-Syrian government forces which tried to enter the Afrin region on Tuesday retreated after artillery fire by Turkish forces fighting a Kurdish militia there, said Kalin.

He told a news conference there will be serious consequences if there are further such attempts to enter Afrin, where Turkey last month launched an operation against the Kurdish YPG militia which Ankara says is a terrorist group.