“Our relations will continue, especially regarding the terrorism issue,” Ehmed said.
There are “thousands of Islamic State (ISIS) gang members” held in AANES prisons, she said, calling on the International Coalition against ISIS member states to take more responsbility for their imprisoned citizens who fought for ISIS.
“Member states must not avoid their responsibility for fear of the Turkish state’s threats,” Ehmed said. “That would put their national security at risk.”
Turkey’s main condition for allowing Finland and Sweden to join NATO by refraining from a veto has been a stricter attitude towards terrorism and a crackdown on Syrian Kurdish groups that the two countries do not designate as terrorist.
Ankara considers the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the Democratic Unity Party (PYD) to be affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group that has been fighting for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey for some four decades that has been designated terrorist by both Turkey and the European Union.
In 2019, Turkey negotiated a safe zone along its border in Syrian territory, pushing back Kurdish groups that controlled the region, following a military operation. Currently Ankara intends to conduct another incursion to further reduce what it considers a threat to its national security.
The AANES declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, in preparation for such an operation, Medya News reported.
“The state of emergency was declared against new invasion attacks. These are not temporary measures, they will be extended,” Ehmed said. “Because we are against a World War, and we need precautions in every area.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been “working hard to include YPG and PYD on terrorism lists, but he failed”, Ehmed said. She continued:
“We see a need to define the concept of terrorism. If we are talking about killers of children, they are terrorists. Then, this matter touches the Turkish state and government. If we are talking about looting, destruction, rapes, arrests and oppression, all of these happen in Turkey.”
NATO has been acting one-sided, “as is their classic policy”, Ehmed said. “NATO continues to be protective for Turkey, but it will not prevail this way.”
“A pragmatic administration that serves the authority of one man is using NATO for their own interests,” she said.
Reporter's code: 50101