In a resolute statement on Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hinted that Ankara is getting ready to step up its attempts to destroy the Kurdish YPG force in Syria. Fidan said that Turkey will not accept any agreements that would allow the YPG to continue operating in the area, calling their expulsion “imminent,” at a joint news conference with his Jordanian colleague, Ayman Safadi.
“The elimination of the YPG in Syria is not merely an objective; it is an imminence,” Fidan said. “We are in a position to not only see but also to break any kind of plot in the region.”
Fidan’s comments reflect Turkey’s longstanding position that the YPG, which Ankara views as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), poses a critical threat to its national security. Turkey has frequently expressed alarm over the YPG’s position close to its southern border, charging the militia with carrying out cross-border assaults and endangering regional stability.
The YPG has maintained a substantial presence in northern Syria as a component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which the United States supports. The foreign minister’s comments coincide with increased tensions in the region. The YPG has been a key ally of the United States in the fight against ISIS, but its ties to the PKK — a group designated as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S., and the EU — have placed it at odds with Ankara.
Since 2016, Turkey has targeted the YPG in a number of military operations in northern Syria in an attempt to establish what it refers to as a “safe zone” along its border. Although several Western countries and human rights groups have criticized these operations, Ankara has always maintained that its measures are required to safeguard national security and to enable the voluntary repatriation of Syrian refugees who are now living in Turkey.
At the press conference in Amman, Fidan also alluded to broader geopolitical dynamics, suggesting that Turkey is prepared to counter any international or regional efforts to bolster the YPG. “We are fully aware of the games being played in the region, and we will not allow any force to dictate terms that compromise Turkey’s security,” he said.
The conversation between Fidan and Safadi focused on the similarities in views of threats in the region such as the effect of the Syrian conflict commonly the refugees issue. Safadi also underlined Jordan’s and its readiness to continue its support of initiatives in the search for a political solution in Syria, adding that regional stability should not be compromised.
Experts think remarks by Fidan point to another Turkish operation in northern Syria amid already strained ties with US and other NATO partners. Washington time and again calls on Ankara not to take actions which could tilt the balance in the region or pose a threat to the fight against ISIS. But Turkey has claimed that its security issues should take priority in this case.
That is why the an(floor)yance of tensions and the potential for a military conflict increase the expectation that the international community will monitor Ankara’s actions. For Turkey, the YPG is not just a security threat along its southern borders but a part of a system needed to establish its dominance over the region. And yet, thanks to the statements made by Fidan, it can be concluded that Ankara does not envisage a compromise regarding the presence of the YPG in northern Syria.
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