ANKARA – Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday called on the Kurdish YPG militia, the leading force within the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to stop “playing for time” and fully implement its March agreement to integrate into Syria’s government framework.
Speaking at a joint press conference in Ankara alongside his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shibani, Fidan emphasized Turkey’s demand for the SDF to respect the terms of the pact signed with Damascus earlier this year. NATO-member Turkey, a key foreign ally of the Syrian government since last year’s ousting of Bashar al-Assad, regards both the YPG and SDF as terrorist organizations due to their affiliations with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which Turkey also labels as such.
“The YPG/SDF must cease their tactics of delay,” Fidan asserted. “While we approach this process with goodwill, we are fully aware of their evasions.” He stressed Turkey’s security concerns in Syria, underscoring the necessity for all ethnic and religious groups to exist without armed terrorist elements threatening regional stability. The minister urged the YPG to leverage positive regional developments, notably the PKK’s recent decision to disarm and dissolve, which Ankara hopes the YPG will emulate.
Fidan also expressed frustration over the presence of YPG members from Turkey, Iraq, and Iran still operating in Syria, challenging Ankara’s tolerance for such dynamics. Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minister Shibani criticized the SDF’s recent conference that proposed revising Syria’s constitutional declaration, labeling it a breach of the integration agreement and accusing the SDF of exploiting regional violence.
The SDF controls significant territory in northeastern Syria but has long been in conflict with Turkish-backed armed groups in northern Syria. Turkey has previously launched multiple incursions against the YPG to address perceived security threats.
Later Wednesday, Turkey’s Defence Minister Yasar Guler and the Syrian delegation signed a memorandum of understanding on military training and consultancy, marking the first step toward deeper military cooperation between Ankara and Damascus after months of negotiations.
Overall, the calls by Turkey signal heightened pressure on the Kurdish forces to solidify their integration with the Syrian state, amid ongoing regional shifts and security challenges in Syria’s complex conflict landscape.