NATO ally Turkey has finally lifted its veto over Finland and Sweden’s bid to join the Western alliance on Tuesday after the three nations agreed to protect each other’s security, ending a weeks-long drama that tested allied unity against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
After hours-long negotiations between their leaders and NATO earlier in Madrid, the three nations including Sweden and Finland signed a deal for Ankara to remove its block, while the candidates pledged not to support the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and the Kurdish group of People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria.
Turkey has raised serious concerns that Sweden has been harboring what it says are militants from the banned (PKK), which took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984.
“Turkey’s president Erdogan views the Swedish policy over (Rojava) as he wants,” said representative of Khosar ‘Xweser’ semi-autonomous region in Syria Shyar Ali .
The (YPG) is a key part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that controls large parts of northern Syria and is regarded by Washington as an important ally against the Islamic State. Ankara sees it as an extension of the militant PKK, branding it a terrorist group, while Western governments do not.
“Erdogan seeks to list the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Democratic Union Party (PYD) inside designated international terrorist groups, he also attempts to gain Europe’s consent to invade northern Syria (Rojava), but so far he did not receive any consent” Ali added.
Ankara has carried out four operations in northern Syria since 2016, seizing hundreds of kilometers of land and pushing some 30 km deep into the country, mainly targeting the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and other Kurdish groups. Earlier in May the Turkish officials repeatedly renewed their call about launching a new military incursion in northern Syria.
Turkey’s operations in Syria are focusing on uprooting the Kurdish control in the north of the country and aim to establish a deep safe zone, particularly in those areas held by the YPG.
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