Turkiye firm on barring Kurdish fighters in Syria, Fidan tells Blinken

Shafaq News/ On Saturday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan informed US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Turkiye will not permit the presence of Kurdish fighters in Syria.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that “Fidan discussed with Blinken the need to cooperate with the new Syrian administration to ensure an orderly completion of the transitional period.”

A ministry spokesperson stated that “Minister Fidan conveyed to Blinken in a phone call that Ankara would not allow the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to take refuge in Syria.” The YPG forms the backbone of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which Washington supports.

Turkiye has long been displeased with the US support for the SDF, viewing the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an armed insurgency against Turkiye since the 1980s.

However, Washington has consistently maintained that the SDF, which led the fight against ISIS until its defeat in 2019, is essential to prevent the group's resurgence in the region.

Fidan told Blinken that Ankara supports the new Syrian administration's efforts to “ensure the unity and security of Syrian territories.”