YPG

Plans by U.S.-backed YPG to conduct local elections in northern Syria are "unacceptable" and a threat to Türkiye's national security, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler said on June 3.

Türkiye considers the move as a step toward the creation of a separate Kurdish entity across its borders.

The United States has asserted that Syria's northeast fails to ensure "fair, free and transparent" election conditions, in a rebuke to the YPG terrorist group's recent attempts to hold local polls in the region.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has reiterated Ankara's expectation of full cooperation in the fight against terrorism from the NATO allies during the alliance's two-day summit in Brussels.

"We have expressed our expectation that all the NATO countries should fully and unconditionally support Türkiye in fighting terrorism," Fidan told reporters late on April 4.

Türkiye and the United States have agreed to resume "counterterrorism consultations" and establish a dialogue on defense industry cooperation, according to a joint statement released on March 9 following talks between the country's top diplomats.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has met with White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, pressing the United States to sever its connections with the PKK and its affiliates.

In the meeting on March 7, Fidan underscored Türkiye's commitment to combating terrorist organizations in Syria, urging the U.S. to "act with the spirit of alliance," according to diplomatic sources.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will once again call on the United States to stop its political and military support to the YPG, a terror group based in northern Syria, during his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken as part of the Strategic Mechanism meetings.

Türkiye will continue its fight against terrorism decisively and is poised to resolve problems stemming from the PKK's terrorist presence in northern Iraq this summer, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has vowed, calling on relevant parties to respect Türkiye's security concerns.

A deal between Türkiye and the United States on the sale of 40 new F-16s to the former creates a window of opportunity for further improving the bilateral ties should the latter show more respect to the Turkish sensitivities in combatting terrorism.

Türkiye has underlined the importance of international cooperation for the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland amid talks with Damascus to normalize the bilateral ties.

The message was conveyed through Türkiye's top security board, the National Security Council (MGK), which was convened under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan late on June 8.

Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has harshly criticized some prominent Western countries, including the United States, for closing their consulates and other missions in Istanbul over terror threat, accusing them of staging a psychological warfare against Türkiye.