In an interview with Al Jazeera, Turki Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that Turkey feels it is within its rights to defend itself if attacked by “terrorists,” even if other countries such as the US or Russia had a different opinion.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also has said that Ankara is not preparing for a military operation inside Syria or Iraq in the near future unless Turkey is threatened or attacked by “terrorist groups” from inside the two countries.

He added that his country is working with other countries in the region such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia, as well as Russia and the US, to establish a buffer zone inside Syria. “This zone will initially be established around the Turkish-Syrian borders and enforced by air support from the international and regional partners,” the prime minister said.

Davutoglu said that Turkey will not use this zone to enter into Syria militarily, but instead to create a safe haven for the Syrian refugees through which a system of international assistance and aid programmes can be established to help them inside their own country.