A one-year extension of U.S. Executive Order 13894 on Syria drew the ire of Ankara. "The decision by the U.S. Government to extend Executive Order 13894, first issued in 2019 within the context of developments in Syria, for a further year is incompatible with the realities on the ground,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli said in a statement. On Thursday, the U.S. extended Executive Order 13894, citing an "unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”
Responding to the move, Keçeli said: "Instead of repeating such prejudiced steps, supporting Türkiye's policies prioritizing Syria's territorial integrity and political unity would contribute to regional stability.”
In 2019, Türkiye launched Operation Peace Spring on Oct. 9, invoking its right to self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter. The operation aimed to neutralize terrorist groups, particularly PKK/YPG, in northern Syria, and ensure border security.
At that time, the U.S., which had been cooperating with the terrorist group under the guise of fighting against Daesh, declared a national emergency for Syria, claiming that the conditions in Syria were disrupting the fight against Daesh. This executive order also granted the U.S. power to impose sanctions.
Türkiye considers the Executive Order as an obstacle in its fight against the YPG, the Syria wing of the terrorist group PKK, which killed thousands in Türkiye since the 1980s. The YPG enjoys unconditional support by the United States, from military equipment to ammunition as it tries to carve out a de facto territory for itself in northeastern Syria, something opposed both by Ankara and the Assad regime in Damascus. Türkiye recently took steps to normalize relations with the Assad regime and repeatedly calls on the international community to take steps to ensure the territorial integrity of Syria threatened by the YPG.
