Speaking at a joint news conference with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi on Thursday in Ankara, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the attacks in Syria’s Aleppo, which continued on Thursday, showed the “real intention” of the U.S.-backed terrorist group YPG.
He also stressed that the attacks damaged peace in Syria.
“The YPG’s insistence (on autonomy in Syria) is an obstacle to Syria’s stability. It should abandon the campaign of terrorism and separatist activities,” he said.
Fidan underlined that Syria should remain united and the YPG should do its part.
“However, it is no coincidence that they chose to become a tool for Israel’s policy,” he said, referring to Israel’s expansionist policy marked with repeated incursions into Syria in recent weeks.
"They have turned into an actor used by Israel as part of Israel's divide and rule policy. They coordinate with Israel," he underlined.
"What is happening in Syria is about what Türkiye has always been warning about. If the YPG implemented integration instead of buying time, none of this would have happened," he said.
"It is of no use not to make concessions and adhere to its own interests," he said.
The top diplomat said that their strategic assessment of the situation was that what was happening in Syria should be viewed from the same viewpoint as the situation in Yemen, Somaliland and Sudan, countries embroiled in conflicts and controversy.
"Our region needs peace more than ever, and Türkiye will remain a guarantee for peace and stability in the region. We will continue our principled and constructive foreign policy to achieve this goal. We will continue to stand for dialogue, diplomacy and justice. The course of events in Syria is important for our national security. We are following them and are in contact with our regional and international partners about them," he said.
Fidan said it was in the interest of communities in Syria, "our Kurdish brothers or Yazidi brothers in Aleppo," that the situation in the province is normalized.
"Under the past agreement with Damascus, the YPG should withdraw from Aleppo's neighborhoods, remove all heavy weaponry deployed there and ensure the government authorities can carry out their duties there. If you attempt to run a parallel province in Aleppo, no sovereign state will accept it. The YPG should adopt a stance for the benefit of all citizens in Aleppo," Fidan said.
The minister said relevant Turkish agencies had been in touch with their counterparts in Syria and the U.S. over the past two days and hoped the situation would be resolved "without further bloodshed."
He also lamented the fact that the YPG did not join the terror-free Türkiye initiative that involves its umbrella group PKK's disarmament.
"Unfortunately, they did not take positive steps despite letters and directives to the YPG (by PKK's jailed ringleader Abdullah Öcalan for disarmament).
"They are resisting this, and we think they are commanded by someone else or they are involved in a double-cross. We know Qandil (senior cadres of the PKK) did not order them to launch attacks. They did not assuage our concerns about security, nor did they serve the stability of Syria. We hope they will cease their coordination with Israel," he said.
Israel's embrace of the YPG is no secret. Several Israeli officials have declared that Tel Aviv should reach out to the YPG after the fall of the Assad regime in the past.
On Thursday, Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said in a social media post that the "Kurdish minority" in Syria was under attack, referring to the YPG, which exploits the ethnic background of its members to advance their terrorist cause. Saar said the violence in Aleppo could increase if the international community remained silent.
"The international community in general, and the West in particular, owes a debt of honor to the Kurds who fought bravely and successfully against (Daesh)," Saar said. He was referring to the international coalition led by Washington, which has been generous to the YPG with its military aid in the past decade under the pretext of coordinating a fight against the Daesh terrorist group in Syria.
Earlier this week, Israel and Syria, under U.S. pressure, agreed to establish an intelligence-sharing mechanism, an unprecedented step as the two countries edge toward a security agreement after decades of hostilities.
Following discussions in Paris, Israel and Syria agreed to establish "a dedicated communication cell" under U.S. supervision that will seek to lower bilateral tensions. U.S. President Donald Trump, who received Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in Washington in November, has been pushing for a security deal between Syria and Israel. After the overthrow of the Baathist regime in December 2024, Israel moved its forces into the U.N.-patrolled demilitarized zone on the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, and has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria as well as regular incursions.
"We hope and encourage that the talks being held among Syria, the U.S. and Israel will conclude in a way that benefits the region and supports Syria’s territorial integrity, security and stability. We are closely monitoring the process, and we have no difficulty speaking with all parties when necessary. We have no designs on anyone else’s territory. As long as Israel respects the rights and the law applicable to all, and grants Palestinians their own state, there would be no problem there either. Instead, pursuing divide and conquer policies in the region serves no one’s interests," he said.
