Reactions from Turkey’s government officials to US decision to arm YPG
First statement from Turkey about US decision to arm YPG forces in Northern Syria against the ISIL militants in the region came from Deputy PM Nurettin Canikli.
Saying the decision of the US is ‘unacceptable’, Canikli added: “US is supporting PKK by all means through YPG.”
In a statment given shortly after, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu asserted that ‘both YPG and PKK are terrorist organizations’ and said ‘the US knows the views of Turkey on this issue very well.’
Talking to journalists in a press conference in Ankara before heading to London, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım also touched on the issue by saying ‘it is impossible for Turkey to accept any move that would directly or indirectly support PKK’.
If US moves on with its decision regardless of Turkey’s stand, it would have ‘negative consequences’ for the US, as well, said PM Yıldırım.
Speaking on a TV program in the afternoon hours of Wednesday (May 10), Defense Minister Fikri Işık said the decision is in itself a ‘crisis.’
“It is a crisis in itself for the terrorist organization PYD to be given weapons. The negative results of this would impact the whole world. The most important ground for fight against terrorism is to not be in partnership with people that have been involved in terrorist activity.”
Source: https://www.birgun.net/haber-detay/abd-nin-ypg-kararina-ankara-dan-ilk-tepki-158827.html