Erdogan says Qatar backs Turkey's plans to settle Syrian refugees: NTV

Qatarcould supportTurkey'splanstosettlemore than a millionSyrianrefugeesin northeast Syria after its offensive against Kurdish militia in the region, broadcasterNTVquoted President TayyipErdoganas saying on Tuesday.

Turkey launched a military incursion against theSyrianKurdish YPG militia last month, seizing a 120-km strip of land along its southeastern border.

Since launching its offensive, Turkey has urged Western allies to back itsplansto build new towns in northeast Syria, where itsaysup to half of the 3.6 millionSyrianrefugeesit currently hosts could besettled.

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It has called for an international donor summit to back the plan. Western officials say they would be reluctant to fund any project which involved involuntary returns or changes to Syria's demographics - something Ankara denies it is planning.

Speaking to reporters on his return flight from a visit to Doha,Erdogansaid he presented hisplanstoQatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, adding that "Mr Tamim liked our projects", according toNTV.

Asked whetherQatarwill help fund theplans,Erdogansaid: "They are at the point of: 'We can carry out these efforts together'. There really isn't another way."

Qatar's Red Crescent Society said last week it had opened a housing project in partnership withTurkey'sAFAD emergency relief authority near the northernSyriancity of Al-Bab, which Turkish-backed forces seized from Islamic State two years ago.

Relations between Turkey andQatarhave been close in recent years. Ankara supported Doha after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties withQatarin 2017, accusing it of funding militant groups. Doha denies the charge.

Erdogansaid that he had also presented theplansto Russian President Vladimir Putin and USPresident Donald Trump, adding that he would renew his call for a donor meeting at the NATO summit in London next week. He said that realising theplanswould be "an example to the world".

The Turkish offensive was met by a chorus of criticism from Ankara's Western allies, who say the operation may hinder the fight against Islamic State. Turkey has rejected those concerns and said it will continue fighting militants.

Ankara views the YPG, the main component of the US-backedSyrianDemocratic Forces (SDF), as a terrorist group because of its link to Kurdish insurgents on its own soil. It has been infuriated with USsupport for the group and has repeatedly urged its allies to stop backing the militia.