Syria tribes condemn Armenia alliance with YPG, PKK

Fifty Syrian tribes have condemned Armenia’s partnership with Kurdish militant groups and the use of its militants against Azerbaijan, according to Turkish media.

The Syrian tribes, who were displaced from their lands during the ongoing nine-year-long Syrian conflict, gathered in a meeting in Turkey’s south-eastern Şanlıurfa province yesterday in which the tribal leaders expressed their concern over Armenia’s recent alleged cooperation with Kurdish groups such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG).

One of the tribal leaders who represented the gathering, Hasan Dughaim, announced a joint statement in support of Azerbaijan in its conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region which has been occupied by Armenian forces for decades.

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He stated that “Azerbaijan is going through difficult days today, but we are sure that the right one will win in the end.” He warned, however, that “the terrorist groups are also in there, cooperating with the perpetrators of the brutality… The terrorist groups are now siding with Armenia which attacks Azerbaijan.”

He also thanked Turkey on behalf of the gathering of tribes for taking them in, saying that “Turkey has opened its doors to all those in need without making a difference on ethnic, religious, or linguistic grounds. Today we have gathered here in token of support for Azerbaijan and the Syrian tribes who still suffer from lawlessness in Syria.”

Dughaim’s statement and the tribes’ protests come after Turkey reported last month that Armenia was transporting hundreds of Kurdish militants from the PKK and its alleged Syrian affiliates such as the YPG in order to support, train, and assist Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.