Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his U.S. counterpart Antony Blinken that Washington must stop working with PKK/YPG terrorists in northern Syria, according to a statement by diplomatic sources on Friday.
In the phone call, Fidan also underlined that Türkiye will continue resolutely to pursue anti-terror operations in Iraq and Syria, the sources said.
Fidan and Blinken also discussed a deconfliction mechanism between Turkish and U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria within the framework of Türkiye's ongoing operations in the region.
Following the downing of a Turkish unmanned combat aerial vehicle in Syria, they agreed that the mechanism must continue effective operation without hindering the fight against terrorism, the sources added.
The issue of NATO expansion was also discussed during the meeting.
The PKK is a designated terrorist organization in the U.S., Türkiye and the European Union. Washington’s support for its Syrian affiliate, the YPG, has been a major strain on bilateral relations with Ankara.
The U.S. primarily partnered with the YPG in northeastern Syria to fight against the Daesh terrorist group. On the other hand, Türkiye strongly opposed the YPG terrorist group’s presence in northern Syria. Ankara has long objected to the U.S.’ support for the YPG, a group that poses a threat to Türkiye and terrorizes local people, destroying their homes and forcing them to flee.
Under the pretext of fighting Daesh, the U.S. has provided military training and given truckloads of military support to YPG terrorists, despite its NATO ally’s security concerns.
