Turkiye summons French ambassador over hosting YPG members

The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned the French ambassador, Herve Magro, to its capital to protest against Paris’s senate’s decision to host members of the Syrian-Kurdish militant group, the People’s Protection Units (YPG).

According to the Turkish News outlet Anadolu Agency, Turkish sources claim that the foreign ministry expressed its “strong condemnation of hosting YPG members and awarding them medals of honor.” 

The ministry further urged that the French government must take the necessary steps to renew its framework to combat “terrorism” and to refrain from giving credibility or “provide international legitimacy” to these militant groups.

“Turkiye demands France’s support in ensuring the security of its borders and the Turkish people, as well as the protection of Syria’s unity and territorial integrity,” the sources said, adding that the ministry had called on Paris “to show solidarity in line with the spirit of the NATO alliance.”

Turkiye considers the YPG to be a militant branch of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Ankara classifies as a terrorist group, and holds responsible for the Istanbul bombing in November 2022 that left six dead and dozens more injured.

The PKK and Turkiye have been sworn foes for decades. Conceived as a political organization in Turkiye in the late 1970s, the group’s armed wing was formed not long after and has been engaged in guerilla warfare against Ankara since.

The PKK operates illegally southwest of Syria, as well as in northern Iraq, where Ankara regularly targets the group.

Last week, a helicopter carrying members of the PKK crashed in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR), resulting in the death of seven people. 

The crash is being referred to as ‘mysterious,’ as no party has claimed ownership of the helicopter. Following reports that the helicopter may have belonged to the Turkish military, Ankara’s Defense Ministry denied ownership and said that none of its aircraft were in the area at the time.