Ankara, Aug. 9 -- Turkey said Thursday the deal it has reached with Washington to set up a so-called safe zone in northeastern Syria is a good start but warned against delays in implementation.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's comments came a day after the U.S. and Turkey announced they agreed to form a joint operations center to set up the safe zone.

The announcement provided few details, but Turkish officials said the center would be set up in Turkey as soon as possible.

Syria's government, meanwhile, described the agreement as a serious escalation that violates its sovereignty. It said it was part of Turkey's "expansionist ambitions" in Syria, aided by Washington and its Syrian allies, the Kurdish-led forces.

The announc...