Turkish Foreign Minister Says Weapons Obtained by Kurds in Syria Threaten Turkey

© REUTERS / Khalil AshawiTurkish forces and members of the Free Syrian Army are seen at the al Baza'a village on the outskirts of al-Bab town in Syria February 4, 2017
Turkish forces and members of the Free Syrian Army are seen at the al Baza'a village on the outskirts of al-Bab town in Syria February 4, 2017 - Sputnik International
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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday that the weapons obtained in northern Syria by the Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG) militia pose a threat to Turkey, local media reported.

This Tuesday, March 7, 2017 frame grab from video provided by Arab 24 network, shows U.S. forces patrol on the outskirts of the Syrian town, Manbij, a flashpoint between Turkish troops and allied Syrian fighters and U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, in al-Asaliyah village, Aleppo province, Syria - Sputnik International
Mattis Says US Will Keep Turkey Safe as Washington Arms Kurds
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Despite objections from Turkey, US President Donald Trump on May 9 approved a plan to arm Kurdish groupsfighting Daesh (jihadist group banned in numerous countries) in Syria.

According to the Daily Sabah newspaper, Cavusoglu stressed that Washington was aware of Ankara's position on YPG and warned against taking the "wrong steps" in Syria.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday that Ankara hopes that Washington understands that the involvement of Kurdish forces in the fight against the terrorist organizations in Syria is a sensitive issue for Turkey.

"Our position is clear: Turkey is against the Kurdistan Workers' Party and other groups being used in the fight against the IS… We still think that the United States may take into consideration the fact that it is a sensitive issue for us," Yildirim said.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters gesture while posing on a damaged airplane inside Tabqa military airport after taking control of it from Islamic State fighters, west of Raqqa city, Syria April 9, 2017 - Sputnik International
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The prime minister stressed that Turkey informed all its partners, including the United States, of its attitude towards the PKK.

Yildirim added that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would personally tell Trump about Ankara's concerns during a visit to Washington on May 17.

The Syrian Democratic Forces, led by the Kurds, are currently carrying out an operation to encircle Raqqa, an Daesh stronghold in Syria.

Ankara considers the YPG and the Syria's Kurdish Democratic Union Party's (PYD) to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terror group in Turkey, the United States and the European Union. In spite of this, however, the PYD and the YPG, as well as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been receiving support from the United States in fighting the Daesh terrorist group in northern Syria.

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