Turkey has criticized France for partially including terrorist YPG/PKK propaganda in a history textbook used as a supplementary text in its high school curriculum, saying that it is a direct result of the official French policy of supporting terrorism and whipping up anti-Turkey sentiment.
In response to a question about the aforementioned text, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hami Aksoy said Sunday that the book was prepared as a result of France’s warm relations with the YPG/PKK terrorists, as President Emmanuel Macron had previously invited terrorist representatives to the Elysee Palace.
“The fact that France builds its foreign policy preferences on almost all issues based on its anti-Turkey rhetoric and attempt to distort historical truths and the law is worrisome,” Aksoy said.
He continued by noting that France had referred to Turkey’s counterterrorism operations in Syria, which were carried out while respecting Syria’s territorial integrity, as “attempts at occupation,” saying that the main reason behind this was the fact that Operation Peace Spring had obstructed plans to establish a terrorist state near Turkey’s borders.
He warned that it was concerning and irresponsible for politicians to poison future generations with hatred.
“Such distorted presentation of ideological dogmas and political interests in schoolbooks poses a serious threat for future generations,” Aksoy said, adding Turkey would closely follow the matter to ensure that the mistake was redressed.
The text, which is not officially included in the curriculum prepared by the French Ministry of Education but will be used as supplementary educational material, gives two full pages to the ideology of the groups.
Support of the YPG in Syria by France, the United States and several other Western countries has become one of the stumbling blocks in bilateral ties between Turkey and its two NATO allies.
Back in April 2019, French President Macron hosted a delegation of the so-called SDF, which is dominated by the YPG terrorist group.
Macron assured the YPG representatives, who were not named, of the "active support of France in the fight against Daesh which continues to be a menace for collective security," the presidency said in a statement.
The move came following the U.S. decision to withdraw from Syria, creating fear among YPG terrorists that they would be left alone without support in the region.
The U.S. has primarily partnered with the YPG in northeastern Syria in the fight against the Daesh terrorist group.
Turkey strongly opposes the YPG's presence in northern Syria, which has been a major sticking point in strained Ankara-Washington relations.
The U.S. has provided military training and thousands of truckloads of weaponry to the YPG, despite its NATO ally's security concerns.
The PKK, which is listed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the U.S. and the European Union, has waged a terror campaign against Turkey for more than four decades and has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 40,000 people, including women and children.
