Turkey has been fighting Kurdish-led forces in Syria, which the United States is supporting in the fight against the extremist organization ISIS.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said to the Turkish president To Recep Tayyip Erdoğanthat Syrian civilians must be protected after the coup in the country. Blinken and Erdogan met late Thursday at Ankara airport.
Blinken again emphasized the importance of all actors in Syria respecting human rights and international humanitarian law, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Turkey has raised its security concerns after the coup in Syria. The country has been fighting Kurdish-led forces in Syria, which the United States, in turn, supports in the fight against the extremist organization ISIS.
According to Miller, Blinken told Erdogan about the need to ensure that the coalition to defeat ISIS can continue to carry out its important mission.
SDF in a critical position
During a stop in Jordan before heading to Turkey, Blinken said he recognized Turkey’s “real and clear interests” in the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers’ Party. In addition to Turkey, the EU and the United States have defined the PKK as a terrorist organization.
– At the same time, we want to avoid the outbreak of a further conflict inside Syria. Part of that also has to be making sure that Isis doesn’t rear its ugly head again, Blinken told reporters in Aqaba, Jordan.
According to the foreign minister, the US-backed Kurdish SDF forces are in a critical position with regard to ISIS.
Turkey, on the other hand, has a hostile attitude towards the SDF, which controls the Kurdish areas, and considers it to be an extension of the PKK.