Recep Erdogan during a speech in the Turkish parliament, Photo: Depo/Zuma Press
On Wednesday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on other countries to stop interfering in Syria, saying that Turkey has all the capabilities to eliminate terrorist groups, including the Kurdish YPG militia and the Islamic State. This was reported by Reuters.
Kurdish militia as the main threat
In his speech to the Parliament, Erdogan stressed that the Kurdish YPG militia remains the biggest problem in Syria after the overthrow of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
“The excuses given, such as the fight against ISIS, are no longer convincing. Turkey is the biggest force that can solve this problem,” he said.
Erdogan added that the YPG would not be able to avoid defeat unless it laid down its arms and assured that Turkey, together with its Syrian allies, would crush the terrorist groups.
A call to end external support
Erdogan once again called on the international community, in particular the United States, to stop supporting the YPG, which Turkey considers a continuation of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PKK has been waging an armed conflict against the Turkish state since 1984 and is recognised as a terrorist organisation in Turkey, the United States and the EU.
Earlier statements and escalation of the conflict
Three weeks ago, Erdogan warned that Kurdish militants would “either lay down their arms or be buried with their weapons on Syrian soil”. This statement was made against the backdrop of escalating fighting between Syrian militias backed by Turkey and Kurdish forces.
Erdogan stressed that Turkey has sufficient military power to defend its interests and its Syrian brothers:
“We will destroy the terrorist organisation that is trying to build a wall of blood between us and our Kurdish brothers.”
Turkey has repeatedly emphasised the need to eliminate the YPG, which is the main component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the US allies in the fight against the Islamic State. However, Washington and Ankara continue to clash over support for Kurdish forces.
