Alwaght- Turkey has blamed France for supporting terrorists after French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to support US-backed Kurdish militants in northern Syria, who have been the target of a Turkish offensive.
Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag warned on Friday Turkish forces will target French forces if they support predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of militias in northern and eastern Syria which is largely dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) whom Ankara considers as a Syrian offshoot of the PKK, which has been fighting for an autonomous region inside Turkey since 1984.
“Those who enter into cooperation and solidarity with terror groups against Turkey...will, like the terrorists, become a target of Turkey,” Bozdag wrote on Twitter. “We hope France does not take such an irrational step.”
The French leader’s mediation offer also fell on cold shoulders in Ankara as it swiftly turned down any dialog.
“We reject any efforts to promote ‘dialog,’ ‘contact’ or ‘mediation’ between Turkey and those terrorist organizations,” Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesperson Erdogan, said in a Twitter.
Turkish official’s remarks came after Macron on Thursday hosted a delegation of the SDF for the first time since entering the Elysee Palace.
“The president ... paid tribute to the sacrifices and the determining role of the SDF in the fight against ISIS,” Macron’s office said in a statement.
“He assured the SDF of France’s support for the stabilization of the security zone in the northeast of Syria, within the framework of an inclusive and balanced governance, to prevent any resurgence of ISIS”, the statement added.
Also present at the meeting were representatives of Syria's Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), commonly referred to as the YPG’s political wing, as well as some Arab and Christian figures.
Khaled Eissa, a PYD member representing the northern Syria region in Paris, said the French head of state had promised to deploy more ground troops to the area while also providing humanitarian assistance and pushing for a diplomatic solution.
“There will be reinforcements to help secure from attacks by ISIS and stop a foreign aggression,” he said, referring to Turkey and its ongoing military operation against Kurdish groups inside Syria’s northern territory of Afrin.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan authorized the intervention in January, calling for Afrin to be cleared of YPG “terrorists.”
Just like the United States, France has provided YPG-led militants with arms and training. The European country has also deployed dozens of its special forces to the region, infuriating Turkey.
Macron’s office refused to comment on whether he was sending troops to Syria but said the president was ready to help settle differences between Ankara and the SDF.
