The Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Anwar Gargash, said on Monday that the concerns of the countries in the region and the international community about the future of PKK-affiliated terrorist groups in Syria are "legitimate."
In a statement from his Twitter account, Gargash said "in light of the pivotal role played by the Kurds in defeating the [Daesh] terrorist organization, the regional and international concern about their fate is legitimate."
Recent media reports have been asserting that two prominent Gulf countries, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, are increasing their support to the YPG terror group in an effort to fill a power vacuum after the possible withdrawal of Washington from Syria.
The countries are also reportedly searching for ways to enhance their relations with the Bashar Assad regime. In late December, the UAE reopened its embassy in Sy
ria's capital for the first time in seven years, a reflection of improved relations between Bashar Assad and some of his Arab foes as the war winds down.
Syria was expelled from the 22-member Arab League in 2011. Arab countries have sanctioned Damascus and condemned its use of military force against the opposition.
"The Arab interest requires dealing with the role and position of the Kurdish only in a political framework and the unity of Syrian territory," Gargash added in his tweets.
Turkey recognizes the PKK and YPG as organically linked terrorist groups and has long argued that one terrorist group cannot be defeated with another one.
The ultimate aim of the YPG is to establish an autonomous region in northern Syria by connecting the northwestern Afrin canton to the Kobani and Jazeera cantons.
The YPG terrorists, who occupy a 480-kilometer area on the Turkey-Syria border, pose a threat to Turkey's national security.
