AA / Washington / Rabia Iclal Turan
The United States reaffirmed its recognition of the “legitimate right” of the Turkiye to fight against the PKK, while avoiding addressing the question of the Syrian branch of the terrorist group, the YPG, with which the United States associates to fight Daesh in Syria.
“We understand the Türkiye’s legitimate right to combat a designated terrorist organization,” said Matthew Miller, a State Department spokesman. He added that Washington continues to designate the PKK as a terrorist organization.
Asked by Anadolu about the YPG, the Syrian branch of the PKK that the Turkiye and the United States have both designated as a terrorist organization, Matthew Miller evaded the question.
“I would rather talk about the PKK. We respect the right to fight this organization,” he added.
The State Department spokesperson stressed that Syria is currently in a “fragile” state.
“We do not want to see any side take any action to pursue its own unilateral interests at the expense of the broader interests of the Syrian people,” he said.
Matthew Miller also defended the United States’ partnership with the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), saying they play an important role in the fight against Daesh.
“It is in the interest of Turkiye, the Syrian people and all countries in the region that the Islamic State does not return to the forefront and that the Islamic State fighters detained by the SDF do not not be released,” he said.
Matthew Miller highlighted continued engagement with Turkish officials, saying this is “an extremely difficult issue, on which collaboration with Turkish counterparts continues.”
Asked why the United States is not considering cooperating with its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally, Turkiye, rather than the YPG to fight ISIS, Matthew Miller replied: “We discussed this with our NATO ally and tried to find the best way forward.”
And to continue: “What we are trying to avoid is that Syria does not fall back into sectarian fighting when it has just come out of a regime, that of Bashar al-Assad, which presided over a war brutal civil war of several years. We do not want to see actions that would further destabilize the situation.
Asked by Anadolu whether these actions included those of Israel, such as expanding settlement construction in the occupied Syrian Golan and bombing various parts of Syria, he said they included “all parties of the region”, without however explicitly naming Israel.
He then defended Israel’s capture of the demilitarized buffer zone in the Syrian Golan Heights, saying he took the step because he saw the Syrian army withdrawing from the area and that it created a vacuum that could be filled by groups that Israel and the United States consider terrorist groups.
“They said it was temporary,” he said.
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