Alwaght-Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned France for hosting terrorists after President Emmanuel Macron met a delegation of Kurdish militants and praised them for seizing parts of northern Syria.
Speaking on Friday at the provincial leaders’ meeting of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in capital Ankara, Erdogan said: “If the remark [by the France presidency] that ‘we can be a mediator between Turkey and SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces)’ is true, it far exceeds the limit of the person who says that.
“Who are you to talk about mediation between Turkey and a terror group?”
Erdogan rejected any scope for negotiations with terror groups, saying Turkey’s fight against terrorism would continue resolutely like the ongoing Turkish military operation in northwestern Syria.
In Thursday's statement, the Elysee Palace said French President recalled “France’s commitment against the PKK and its commitment to the security of Turkey” during a meeting with a PYD/PKK-led SDF delegation.
However, as Turkey has documented, the PYD/PKK and SDF actually are the Syrian branches of the terrorist PKK, recognized by Turkey, France, and the EU as a terrorist group.
Macron also claimed the SDF had “no operational link with this terrorist group” -- meaning the PKK -- adding that "a dialogue could be established between the SDF and Turkey with the assistance of France and the international community".
But according to Ankara, the SDF is dominated by PYD/PKK forces.
The Turkish president termed the hosting of terror group members at the French presidency as “nothing but a hostile expression against Turkey”.
He said France now had no right to complain about any kind of terror groups, terrorists and their terror activities.
He reiterated that the SDF was the same as the PKK/PYD/YPG terror groups, underlining that a change in the name of the groups would not change Turkey’s stance against them.
He called on Europe to not play tricks with Turkey by changing the name of terrorist groups in Syria.
In its 30-year terrorist campaign against Turkey, the PKK has taken some 40,000 lives, and Ankara has warned against international actors cooperating with such groups as the PYD/PKK, YPG/PKK, and SDF/PKK, as they are just the PKK under different names.
