Erdogan Urges US to Recognize Syrian Kurdish PYD Group as Terrorists

The Turkish president has called Western allies to recognize the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) as a terrorist organization.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated on Wednesday his calls on Western allies to recognize the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) as a terrorist organization.

"There is no such thing as a good terrorist or a bad terrorist," the Turkish president said, calling on the United States to clarify whether Washington supports Ankara or the PYD, as quoted by the Daily Sabah newspaper.

Last week, Erdogan questioned US loyalty to Turkey, as Washington still supported the PYD as it had been successfully fighting against Daesh militant group, which is outlawed in Russia, the United States and a number of other countries.

On February 9, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned US Ambassador John Bass to protest the US refusal to consider the PYD a terrorist organization.

Ankara claims that Syrian Kurds have links to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which is fighting for Kurdistan independence from Turkey, and is deemed a terrorist organization by Ankara. The PKK leadership, however, denies ties to the PYD group.

PYD, and its armed wing the People's Protection Units (YPG), have been active in northern Syria. The YPG scored a significant victory against IS in the Kurdish town of Kobani, which had been besieged by extremist forces between September 2014 and March 2015.