Turkey's Erdogan rejects EU Parliament motion on Syria's Afrin

ANKARA - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday rejected the European Parliament's motion calling Turkey to end its military operation in northern Syria's Kurdish enclave of Afrin.

Speaking at an award ceremony in Ankara, Erdogan said the European Parliament is calling Turkey to withdraw from Syria's Afrin, but all such efforts would be in vain.

"Do not get your hopes up. We will not get out of there [Afrin] until our work is done," Erdogan said.

The European Parliament approved the motion on March 15. The motion stated that the parliament is "seriously worried about the escalating situation in Afrin."

"The European Parliament cannot say a word to Turkey [about the ongoing Operation Olive Branch]," Erdogan said.

A total of 3,525 terrorists have been "neutralized" since the start of Operation Olive Branch in Afrin, the president said, adding that to take the city center of Afrin is just "a matter of time."

On Tuesday, Turkish military announced its army and allied FSA forces have encircled Afrin, achieving a significant advance during its eight-week-long operation.