Turkey sidelines France in favour of US partnership in northeast Syria

NEWS WIRES

10 January 2025 at 7:39 am·1-min read

Last month, Syrian Kurds had to flee an onslaught by Ankara-backed groups.

Turkey's chief diplomat has ruled out French military support in Syria after accusing France of ignoring Ankara’s security needs, saying it preferred partnering with the United States to diffuse Kurdish tensions in the country’s northeast.

Turkey's top diplomat on Friday ruled out a role for French troops in Syria, saying it was only negotiating with the United States which has sought to head off Turkish military action against Kurdish fighters there.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan accused Paris of turning a blind eye to Turkey's security concerns, and called on France to take back French jihadist militants jailed in Syria.

International efforts have been made to dissuade NATO member Turkey from escalating an offensive against the Kurdish-led SDF, which helped US forces to defeat the Islamic State jihadist group in 2019.

The SDF is seen by many in the West as crucial to keeping the jihadists at bay. Turkey however sees it as a security threat over its ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency on Turkish soil.

(AFP)

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