Official statements from the Turkish government or reports from international news agencies

Turkey Urges France to Repatriate Citizens from Syria Amid PKK/YPG Threat, Rejects SDF Proposal

Jan 10, 2025, 09:55 AM

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has urged France to repatriate its citizens who are imprisoned in Syria for terrorism, emphasizing that Washington is Turkey's sole interlocutor regarding the situation in northeastern Syria, where Turkey is considering a military operation against the PKK/YPG threat. Fidan criticized France for not taking responsibility for its own nationals and for relying on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are dominated by Kurdish fighters, to detain these individuals. He dismissed a proposal by the SDF to deploy French troops along the Syrian border, stating that Turkey does not take seriously countries that attempt to advance their interests in Syria by hiding behind U.S. power. Fidan suggested that if France wants to act in Syria, it should first handle its own citizens detained there, and he questioned the sincerity of the Kurdish administration's intentions.