Turkey condemns France meeting with members of Kurdish Syrian groups

Turkey today condemned a meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and members of the Syrian Democratic Council, which is under the control of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), reports Anadolu Agency.

In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said that France’s ties with the “bloodthirsty terrorist organization” and its extensions, which have a separatist agenda, undermines Turkey’s national security, efforts to protect Syria’s political unity and territorial integrity and to ensure stability in the region.

“We also remind the French and international public of the fact that the organisation has recently bloodily suppressed peaceful demonstrations of young people who refused to join the organization, bombed civilian targets such as Afrin Hospital, attacked Syrian civilians, including children, and tortured prisoners to death,” the statement said.

“We repeat once again that Turkey will resolutely continue its fight against this terrorist organization and its extensions everywhere,” it added.

On Monday, Macron received a delegation of the Syrian Democratic Council at the Elysee Palace in the French capital Paris.

Turkey believes the YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU.​​​​​​​

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