Turkish FM calls on NATO allies to end support for YPG

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu called on NATO allies, particularly the United States, to end support to the “terror groups” in Syria, Qazet.az reports.

“The support of the U.S. and some of its allies to terrorist organizations in Syria is obvious. They must end this support,” he told reporters after a NATO meeting in Romania on Nov. 30.

The minister recalled his discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and said, “We told them that the perpetrators of the Istanbul attack… They were able to do these with the support you provided them.”

On one side the NATO allies make solidarity statements after the attack in Istanbul, the minister said, but criticized the “but” point in their remarks when it comes to Türkiye’s response to the terror groups, particularly in Syria.

The NATO allies confirm that Türkiye has the “right to maintain its security, then they say ‘but’ and talk about international law, civilians, etc.,” the minister said.

“We see attempts to prevent Türkiye, such as shoot from the air but do not make decisions,” Çavuşoğlu said and stressed that Ankara gives “the necessary response” when such rhetoric was expressed by his interlocutors on the issue of Türkiye’s possible ground incursion into northern Syria.