ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Friday warned that Ankara is prepared to eliminate what it perceives as security threats in Syria, adding that with the fall of the old regime across the border, it is the "end of the road" for armed Kurdish groups.
“The end of the road is now in sight for the separatist organization and its extensions in Syria. Nothing will ever be the same again. The old order will not continue,” Fidan said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara considers the PKK’s Syrian branch.
“Turkey has the power, capacity and most importantly, the determination to eliminate all threats to its survival at their source,” he said.
The YPG is the backbone of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls northeast Syria (Rojava) and is the main ally of the United States-led coalition combating the Islamic State (ISIS).
Fidan accused European countries of exploiting America’s influence in Syria to pursue their own agenda. His remarks came after French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday reiterated support for Syrian Kurds, referring to them as “freedom fighters” and vowing not to abandon them.
The fate of Rojava is uncertain as the new rulers in Damascus, who are close to Turkey, prepare for a national dialogue about the future of the country after the end of decades of Baath party rule.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot during a visit to Damascus last week said that “a political solution must be found with France's allies, who are the Kurds,” and called for a ceasefire in the Kurdish-held areas in northern Syria where Turkey and the Syrian militia groups it supports have intensified their attacks on the SDF.
France, an active member of the US-led coalition against ISIS, maintains a military presence in Rojava.
On Tuesday, Fidan said Ankara plans to carry out a fresh military operation against Rojava if the alleged PKK cadres do not leave the country, adding that they have given a deadline to the Kurdish authorities through Western countries. The PKK has repeatedly said that they have no presence in Rojava.
In December, Fidan held a joint press conference with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus where he said that the territorial integrity of Syria is “non-negotiable” and that the PKK “has no place" in the country.
