WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and allied groups announced the creation of a federal region in northern Syria.
"The Kurdish aspiration for autonomy in the northeast part of Syria is observed as a threat to the national security of Turkey by the Turkish government," Yuksel said.
Since the beginning of the war in Syria in 2011, Yuksel noted, the Turkish government resorted to all types of measures to intervene in the conflict and prevent Kurdish forces from creating an autonomous region just like the one Kurds had established in northern Iraq.
The motion was upheld by all participants without consulting the central government, prompting protests in Damascus.
The UN, Russia and the United States — three key actors in the Syria talks that have been mediating intra-Syrian dialogue and brokering the end of hostilities — all criticized the surprise decision.