Erdogan says Turkey won’t allow creation of state in Syrian Kurdistan

Erdogan says Turkey won’t allow creation of state in Syrian Kurdistan

Posted on June 24, 2017

ANKARA,— Turkey will “never” allow the establishment of a state in Syrian Kurdistan, northern Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said, while criticizing the United States for cooperating with the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed wing People’s’ Protection Units (YPG).

“In our south, in northern Syria the PYD and YPG are trying to do things. You should know that regardless of those standing with or behind you, Turkey, with its armed forces and all its capabilities, won’t allow the establishment of a state in northern Syria,” Erdoğan said during a speech in the Akçakale district of the southeastern province of Şanlıurfa in Turkish Kurdistan on June 23, as he added that Ankara conveyed the issue to Washington, which arms the YPG in order for the group to use the weapon in its fight against the Islamic State group (IS) [Daesh].

U.S regards the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party PYD and its powerful military wing YPG, which is part of SDF alliance, as key ally against Islamic State and the most effective fighting force against IS in Syria and has provided them with arms, air support as well as the military advisers.

The Kurdish YPG, which has 60,000 fighters, has seized swathes of Syria from IS.

Turkey has repeatedly asked the U.S. to cut its ties with the YPG, which it says is an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). Turkey considers the YPG as a terrorist group.

“We told this issue to the U.S. and other countries. We said, ‘Please, never allow such a thing [establishment of a state] to happen. If you do so, the struggle there would be different and you would be mentioned with terror states.’ We will continue our struggle regarding this issue,” Erdoğan also said.

Later on June 23, Erdoğan gave a speech in Şanlıurfa’s Harran district, saying that in case of a possible threat against Turkish borders from Syria, Turkey would do the same as what it did during the Euphrates Shield Operation.

“If the ongoing negative developments in Syria pose a threat against our borders in the future, if we are faced with such an incident, then the whole world should know that we will do the same things we did during the Euphrates Shield Operation. Everyone should know this,” he also said, referring to the military operation launched by Turkey in August 2016 to clear its Syria border of IS.

Turkey fears the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region in northern Syria that will not be loyal to Ankara — would spur the separatist ambitions of Turkey’s own Kurds.

Syrian Kurdistan’s ruling PYD has established three autonomous zones, or Cantons of Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin and a Kurdish government across Syrian Kurdistan in 2013. On March 17, 2016 Syria’s Kurds declared a federal region in Syrian Kurdistan.

On August 24, 2016, Turkey and Ankara-backed Free Syrian Army FSA have launched an incursion into northern Syria, in an area some 100 km (60 miles) east of Afrin to stop the US-backed Kurdish YPG forces from extending areas under their control and connecting Syrian Kurdistan’s Kobani and Hasaka in the east with Afrin canton in the west and preventing them creating a de facto Kurdish mini-state along Turkey’s frontier.

It helped them carve out a big portion of northern Syria, helping ensure the YPG and its allies could not link the 400-km (250-mile) stretch of territory they hold in the north and northeast with the pocket they hold west of Azaz.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Thursday Turkey had sent reinforcements, including troops, vehicles and equipment into Syria, toward areas south of Azaz town, which is held by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels. The YPG controls areas south of Azaz.

http://ekurd.net/turkey-wont-syrian-kurdistan-2017-06-24