"The United States has been facing several difficulties amid the process of withdrawing troops from Syria. We want to coordinate this process jointly with Russia and Iran, with which we had arranged work in the framework of the Astana process. [It is needed] in order for terrorist organizations not to fill in the void [following the US pullout]," he stated.

According to Sputnik news agency the statement comes a day after US National Security Advisor John Bolton slammed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's article on the US withdrawal from Syria, published in the New York Times, as 'wrong and offensive'.

Previously, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, commenting on Bolton's statement regarding a possible Turkish operation against Kurdish forces, criticised him by saying that Turkey could never compromise on the issue of the Kurdish YPG militia, as, according to the president.

In December, US President Donald Trump declared victory over the Islamic State (IS) and announced that as a result, US forces would soon be coming home.

However, on 7 January Donald Trump emphasized that US forces would leave Syria in a prudent way and would continue to fight the IS terrorist group.

On Sunday, Bolton said the planned US withdrawal of nearly 2,000 troops from Syria will be contingent upon finalizing an agreement with Turkey that protects Kurdish fighters in the region.

Reporter’s code: 50101