Erdogan Slams US Support for Kurdish 'Terrorists'

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called partnership between Turkey and the United Stated 'strange', because of the US position on the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD), which is considered as terrorist organization by Ankara.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan cast doubt on Wednesday on the United States' loyalty as a partner, condemning US support for the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).

"America, how many times have I asked you: are you with us or with the PYD? It's a strange partnership we have. Despite the fact that we have explained everything to them (the United States) many times, they still say that these are not terrorists. But these are clearly terrorists, you still have not understood this, but know this very well," Erdogan said while addressing the heads of village administrations in Ankara.

On Tuesday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned US Ambassador John Bass to protest Washington's latest refusal to consider the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union (PYD) a terrorist organization.

On Monday, US State Department Spokesman John Kirby said that Washington did not consider the PYD to be a terrorist organization as the Syrian Kurds were successfully fighting against Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) jihadists, banned by several countries, including the United States and Russia.

Ankara considers the PYD to be an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an organization seeking Kurdish independence that has fought the Turkish state since 1984.

Turkey's Kurdish-dominated southeast, bordering Iran, has seen renewed hostilities between the Turkish government and the PKK following July's breakdown of a two-year peace process.