ANKARA – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan firmly rejected calls by Syrian Kurdish factions for a decentralised political system in Syria, dismissing the proposal as unrealistic and destabilising. Speaking to reporters on his return from Rome, Erdogan said the idea of a federal system for Syria “has no place in reality” and warned Kurdish groups not to take actions that could disrupt regional stability. “These are nothing more than raw dreams,” he said, according to a transcript released by his office.
The comments come after rival Syrian Kurdish parties, including the powerful Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), reached an agreement over the weekend on a shared political framework aimed at securing greater autonomy for Syria’s Kurdish population. The initiative was swiftly opposed by Islamist factions in Syria and now faces sharp resistance from Ankara.
“We will not allow any imposed political structures near our borders other than a unified Syria,” Erdogan said, referring to Turkey’s long, volatile border with its southern neighbour.
Turkey considers the U.S.-backed SDF—and its backbone militia, the YPG—a terrorist organisation linked to the outlawed PKK, which has waged an insurgency inside Turkey for decades. While Ankara has cautiously welcomed a recent deal between the SDF and the Syrian government to integrate some Kurdish-controlled institutions with the central state, Erdogan stressed that the YPG must be dismantled for any agreement to move forward.
Erdogan also criticised recent Israeli airstrikes in Syria, describing them as deliberate provocations aimed at undermining progress in the war-torn country following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December. He called the strikes “unacceptable.”
Looking ahead, Erdogan said he plans to meet U.S. President Donald Trump soon to discuss Syria and other key issues. He characterised their past exchanges as “sincere, fruitful and friendly” and said both sides remain open to finding common ground. “Even where we disagree, we will seek reasonable compromises,” he added.