Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
Türkiye on Monday said it was a “matter of time” before the PKK/YPG terrorist group was driven out of Syria and that it would not agree to any policy that allowed the YPG to maintain a presence there.
“We are in a position to not only see but also to break any kind of plot in the region,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a joint press conference with his Jordanian counterpart Ayman Safadi in the capital Ankara.
“Conditions in Syria have changed. We believe it’s only a matter of time before PKK/YPG is eliminated,” he said, stressing that the terror group must lay down its arms in Syria “as soon as possible.”
“PKK’s empire of violence built over Kurdish people is on the verge of collapsing,” he added.
The PKK is proscribed as a terrorist group by the European Union, the U.S. and Türkiye. It is responsible for more than 40,000 deaths in Türkiye, including women and children.
The group claims to fight for Kurdish self-rule and brainwashes the Kurdish population concentrated in southeastern Türkiye to draw recruits. It also maintains strongholds in northern Iraq and Syria for its so-called “Kurdish state.”
The YPG is its local offshoot that has occupied swathes of northern Syria, including oil-rich areas, since 2015, with the help of the United States. Washington calls the group its main ally in the fight against Daesh, much to Ankara’s chagrin.
Türkiye says the YPG/PKK is on par with Daesh and should have no presence in the new Syria.
While it has fought the PKK in northern Iraq for over 20 years, Ankara has mounted multiple operations against the YPG in Syria since 2016.
Türkiye says it trusts the new Syrian administration in the fight against PKK/YPG but threatened military action if the terrorist group refuses to disband, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan saying the terrorist group either “bury their arms” or themselves would “be buried.”
Fidan on Monday warned Western nations, saying strengthening the PKK under the guise of fighting Daesh “to serve other ends will not be allowed.”
“Daesh is a poison for Muslim communities,” Fidan added.
Jordanian diplomat Safadi too backed Fidan’s remarks, stressing that “anything that threatens Türkiye’s security also threatens the security of the region.”
“Jordan is coordinating with Türkiye to contribute to increasing security, and stability in the region in light of the challenges we face,” Safadi told reporters.
