国际英语新闻:Egypt, Greece, Cyprus condemn Turkish military operation in Syria

CAIRO, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- Egypt, Greece and Cyprus on Tuesday slammed the military operation announced by Turkey to be launched soon in Syrian territories.

The remarks came in a final communique after a tripartite summit in Cairo attended by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, according to Egypt's state-run Ahram Online news website.

The three leaders expressed their "deep concern" against the "illegal and illegitimate" Turkish military operation in Syria, strongly condemning any Turkish attempts to undermine the territorial integrity of Syria.

On Tuesday, Turkey's Defense Ministry said the Turkish army has completed all preparations for a military operation in the east of Euphrates River in Syria to establish a safe zone.

Turkey decided to launch the military campaign against the Kurdish militants in northern Syria following the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to leave the war-torn Arab state.

The People's Protection Units (YPG), which controls the east of the Euphrates, was a key partner of the United States in the fight against the Islamic State, but Ankara considers it as a "terrorist" offshoot of the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) in Syria.

The White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham announced that Turkey will soon be moving forward with its long-planned operation into northern Syria, noting that the United States would not intervene in a Turkish offensive.

Meanwhile, the leaders of Cyprus, Greece and Egypt tackled illegal migration and the importance of intensifying global efforts to combat terrorism.

They also addressed the crises in Libya and Syria and affirmed the right of the Palestinian people to establish an independent state.

The summit is the seventh since tripartite cooperation between the three countries was launched in late 2014 and the third to be hosted by Cairo.