Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has declared that there is no place for Kurdish fighters in the future of Syria. ReutersEmphasizing the need to disband the YPG militia. Fidan made the comments during his first visit to Damascus by a Turkish foreign minister since the fall of Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago.
Fidan met Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Shara in the midst of an ongoing war between the Turkish-backed Syrian Army and the US-formed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by the YPG. Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara, Washington and the European Union.
Fidan said that the discussion with the Syrian administration is focused on ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria. “In the coming period, the YPG must come to a point where it is no longer a threat to Syria’s national unity,” he said, urging the disbandment of the militia.
The SDF played a key role in defeating Islamic State militants with US support from 2014 to 2017. However, the group now faces growing threats from Ankara and its allies, as well as changing dynamics under Syria’s new leadership, which maintains close ties to Turkey.
Fidan also criticized the international community for ignoring the “illegal” actions of the SDF and YPG, but hoped US President-elect Donald Trump would take a different approach. According to Fidan, the Syrian administration has indicated its willingness to manage Islamic State prison camps if necessary.
Turkey has conducted several cross-border offensives against Kurdish factions in northern Syria and controls border areas. Ankara has been demanding that the US stop its aid to Kurdish fighters.
Meanwhile, Syria’s new leadership, including the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, is expected to advance against YPG-held areas.
(With information from Reuters)
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