Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has said Ankara will do 'whatever is necessary' to ensure its security if the new Syrian government fails to address concerns about the Kurdish group it regards as terrorists.
Türkiye considers the YPG, the vanguard of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to be an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and the European Union, according to Reuters.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan speaks to the press during the Doha Forum in Qatar on December 8.
Tensions have continued after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was ousted by a coalition of rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) two weeks ago, with Turkey and its Syrian backers seizing the city of Manbij from the SDF on December 9. Assad’s fall has left Kurdish factions in a vulnerable position as they seek to preserve the political gains of the past 13 years.
In an interview with France 24 on December 21, Mr. Fidan said Ankara wants the new government in Damascus led by HTS to resolve the issue according to Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, emphasizing that the YPG should be dissolved immediately.
“If that doesn’t happen, we have to defend our own national security,” Mr Fidan said. Asked if that included military action, Mr Fidan replied: “whatever is necessary.”
Asked about SDF commander Mazloum Abdi's comments regarding the possibility of negotiating a solution with Ankara, Fidan said that the SDF should seek such a solution with the new Damascus government, as there is now "a new reality".
Ankara, along with its Syrian allies, has launched several cross-border attacks against the YPG-led SDF in northern Syria, while repeatedly demanding that the US stop supporting the SDF.
The SDF said five of its members were killed on December 21 in attacks by Turkish-backed forces on the northern Syrian city of Manbij.
The US has been brokering an end to fighting between Türkiye and the Syrian groups it supports and the SDF.
The US State Department said on December 18 that the ceasefire around Manbij had been extended until the end of the week, but a Turkish Defense Ministry official said the next day that there had been no discussions about a ceasefire agreement with the SDF.
The SDF played a key role in defeating the Islamic State (IS) group between 2014 and 2017 with the support of US air power, and still holds IS members in prison camps. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that IS will try to reestablish its capabilities during this period.
Foreign Minister Fidan said he did not see the recent increase in US troops in Syria as a “correct decision”, arguing that the fight against IS was a “pretext” to maintain support for the SDF. “The fight against IS has only one mission: to keep IS prisoners in prison,” Fidan said.
Mr. Fidan also said that HTS had “excellent cooperation” with Ankara in the fight against IS and al-Qaeda in the past through intelligence sharing.
He also stated that Türkiye does not support any foreign bases, including Russian ones (which are still in Syria), but the choice is up to the Syrian people.
There is currently no information about the reaction of HTS, SDF and the US to Mr. Fidan's statement.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tho-nhi-ky-gui-thong-diep-cung-ran-toi-chinh-quyen-syria-moi-lan-my-18524122210265685.htm
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