Türkiye believes US will review its ties with YPG in N Syria

Serkan Demirtaş -ANKARA

Türkiye's top diplomat has expressed confidence that the United States will reassess its relationship with the YPG in northern Syria, suggesting that a second Trump administration might even contemplate withdrawing U.S. troops from the area.

“My assessment is that they will review their ties with PKK/PYD. Because we tell them how serious we are on this issue at every opportunity. The Democrats have recently started to elaborate on this as they saw this was no longer sustainable,” Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Ankara bureau chiefs of various media outlets over the weekend.

Recalling that the partnership between the U.S. and YPG had started as a temporary formula in the context of fighting the ISIL terrorist organization, Fidan underlined that the current form of this relationship has become a threat to a NATO ally.

“Actually, we demonstrate that we will no longer tolerate this. And we should continue doing this,” the minister said, urging that the continued ties between the U.S. and the YPG will continue to constitute a strategic problem between Ankara and Washington.

Fidan explained that Ankara is in the process of analyzing the potential approach the second Trump administration may pursue when President-elect Donal Trump takes office in late January.

“There may be various scenarios in the new era. What is important is to continue to discuss. We, both diplomatically and militarily, in terms of counterterrorism efforts, are very clear. We should continue to defend ourselves and bring forward new proposals. The U.S. sees that we are ready to take all kind of steps for our security,” the top diplomat said.

Having said that Fidan also admitted that there is not enough evidence about Trump’s policies concerning Syria.

“The U.S. tried to pull troops back from Syria during Trump’s first presidency. But, at that time, the U.S. system objected to it. It has been seen even a direct order of the president had no value in the eyes of defense bureaucracy. Trump should have taken his lessons from his first term and that’s why we see he is appointing loyalists to key positions,” Fidan said.

“As a matter of fact, keeping 800 troops in Syria does not contribute much to the U.S. On the contrary, this military presence creates an obstacle in front of the American military operations,” he said, explaining that these troops are often being targeted by Iranian militias when the U.S. strikes on Iran or the militia groups elsewhere.

‘Nuclear risk not a joke’

On the ongoing escalation between Russia and Ukraine, which resulted in the former’s change of its nuclear doctrine, Fidan said, “Is there a nuclear risk? Frankly speaking, the moment the word 'nuclear' is mentioned, a risk exists.”

Russia is threatening to use its more advanced weapons in retaliation to Ukraine’s use of Western-made long-range missiles, the minister explained: "[Russia] is saying this openly. This is not a joke. In response, the other side tells ‘You have nuclear weapons, but I will not allow you to occupy my lands just because you threaten me with your nuclear weapons.'"

“This is a very problematic issue,” Fidan said, also reminding that Western powers are very much worried about a deal between Russia and North Korea.

“They worry what Russia will pledge to North Korea in return of the deployment of [N Korea] troops,” the minister said, explaining that the West is concerned to see a game changer move from Russia that would drastically change the balance created in the Korean peninsula.