Turkey Threatens to Boycott Syria Peace Talks if Kurdish PYD Invited

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that if representatives of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) are invited to take part in the intra-Syrian reconciliation talks, Ankara will "certainly" boycott talks.

ANKARA (Sputnik) — Ankara will boycott the UN-backed intra-Syrian reconciliation talks if representatives of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) are invited to take part, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Tuesday.

Turkey considers the PYD to be an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and views it as a terrorist organization.

"In what capacity the PYD will be at the negotiating table? Can a terrorist organization represent people? These are talks between the opposition and the regime. Terrorists organizations should not be allowed to attend," Çavuşoğlu said in an interview with Turkish NTV television.

"If the PYD has been invited to attend the Geneva talks, we will certainly boycott them," the minister stressed.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura earlier on Tuesday sent invitations to designated participants of intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva scheduled for January 29. The list of invitees has not been disclosed.