ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - In a phone call on Saturday, Turkey’s foreign minister reiterated to his American counterpart Ankara’s opposition to Kurdish forces in northern Syria.
“The terrorist organization PKK/YPG cannot be allowed to take shelter in Syria,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Anadolu Agency reported.
The YPG (People’s Protection Units) is an armed Kurdish force in northeast Syria that Ankara claims is part of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is named a terrorist organization by Turkey and the US. The YPG is the backbone of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the war against the Islamic State (ISIS). Ankara has long been unhappy with Washington’s support for the SDF.
The foreign ministers were discussing recent developments in Syria where a transitional government has been established as the country comes out of decades of dictatorship.
“Turkey supports the efforts of the new Syrian administration to ensure the territorial integrity and security of the country,” Fidan said.
A statement from the US Department of State on their phone call does not mention the Kurdish forces, but said Blinken emphasized “the need to support a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process” and “an inclusive and representative government.”
Blinken was expected to have “some very difficult conversations” in Ankara about Syrian National Army (SNA) attacks on areas under the control of the US-backed SDF in northern Syria (Rojava), former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jennifer Gavito told Rudaw earlier this month.
The SNA are a group of Syrian militias backed by Turkey. They are currently trying to seize control of a dam on the Euphrates River from Kurdish forces and are threatening the town of Kobane.
Blinken visited Ankara two weeks ago. Fidan said they discussed “what would be done for terrorists - DAESH [ISIS] and PKK - taking action to prevent them from abusing the situation” in Syria.
Blinken said they discussed an interim government for Syria, one that is “inclusive and non-sectarian, one that protects the rights or minorities and women, …one that deals with any chemical weapons it may find to secure them and appropriately destroy them, one that rejects any alliances with extremist groups, and of course, one that does not pose any kind of threat to any of Syria’s neighbors.”
