Erdogan Says Kurdish SDF ‘Stalling' Despite Integration Deal with Damascus
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Kurdish-dominated and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were using "stalling tactics" despite an agreement with the new Syrian government for the group's integration into Syrian armed forces.
Speaking to reporters on a flight from Azerbaijan, Erdogan repeated Türkiye's position that Syria's unity and territorial integrity must be preserved, saying the SDF-Damascus deal must be implemented in the agreed and planned timeline.
"We had said before we welcomed the agreement. But we see that the Syrian Democratic Forces are still continuing their stalling tactics. They must stop this," he was cited as saying by his office on Thursday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Istanbul mayor's staff targeted by dozens of arrest warrants
ISTANBUL: Turkish authorities have issued 47 arrest warrants for municipal officials and staff across Istanbul, whose mayor — the main political rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — has been jailed since March, the state news agency Anadolu reported on Saturday. The warrants were based on 'four separate corruption investigations centered on Istanbul,' Anadolu said, without revealing how many people were actually taken into custody. The March 19 arrest and jailing of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu sparked the biggest street protests Turkiye had seen in decades. Police had already detained nearly 70 people in subsequent raids linked to alleged corruption at Istanbul City Hall, including Imamoglu's private secretary and his private protection officer. The latest warrants targeted a former opposition lawmaker and five mayors of Istanbul districts, according to Anadolu. The private television station Halk, seen as close to the opposition CHP party that Imamoglu belongs to, said that nine district mayors — out of a total of 39 — had now been arrested and were being kept in custody. The CHP, which has nominated Imamoglu as its candidate in presidential elections due in 2028, did not immediately comment on the latest warrants.
Asharq Al-Awsat
an hour ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Syrian Kurdish Commander in Touch with Türkiye, Open to Meeting Erdogan
The commander of Kurdish forces that control northeast Syria said on Friday that his group is in direct contact with Türkiye and that he would be open to improving ties, including by meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. The public comments represented a significant diplomatic overture by Mazloum Abdi, whose Syrian Democratic Forces fought Turkish troops and Ankara-backed Syrian opposition during Syria's 14-year civil war. Türkiye has said the main Kurdish group at the core of the SDF is indistinguishable from the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which decided earlier this month to disband after 40 years of conflict with Türkiye. Abdi told regional broadcaster Shams TV in an interview aired on Friday that his group was in touch with Türkiye, without saying how long the communication channels had been open. "We have direct ties, direct channels of communication with Türkiye, as well as through mediators, and we hope that these ties are developed," Abdi said. There was no immediate comment from Türkiye on Abdi's remarks, according to Reuters. He noted his forces and Turkish fighters "fought long wars against each other" but that a temporary truce had brought a halt to those clashes for the last two months. Abdi said he hoped the truce could become permanent. When asked whether he was planning to meet Erdogan, Abdi said he had no current plans to do so but "I am not opposed... We are not in a state of war with Türkiye and in the future, ties could be developed between us. We're open to this." The Al-Monitor news website reported on Friday that Türkiye had proposed a meeting between Abdi and a top Turkish official, possibly Türkiye's foreign minister or its intelligence chief. A Turkish diplomatic source denied the report, saying "the claims about Türkiye and our country's authorities" in the story were "not true", without elaborating. In December, Türkiye and the SDF agreed on a US-mediated ceasefire after fighting broke out as rebel groups advanced on Damascus and overthrew Bashar al-Assad. Abdi in March signed a deal with Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to incorporate the semi-autonomous administration of northeast Syria into the main state institutions based in Damascus. On Thursday, Erdogan accused the SDF of "stalling" implementation of that deal. In the interview, Abdi denied accusations that the SDF was in contact with Israel. "People have accused us of this. In this interview, I am saying publicly that we have no ties with Israel," he said. But he said his group supported good ties with Syria's neighbours. When asked if that included Israel, Abdi responded, "with everyone."
Asharq Al-Awsat
an hour ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Foreign Minister Arrives in Damascus
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah arrived in Damascus on an official visit to Syria, accompanied by a high-level economic delegation. The economic delegation comprises Royal Court Advisor Mohammed bin Mazyad Al-Tuwaijri, Vice Minister of Finance Abdulmuhsen bin Saad Alkhalaf, Assistant Minister of Investment Dr. Abdullah Aldubaikhi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Economic and Development Affairs Abdullah bin Zarah, as well as several officials from various sectors, SPA reported. The foreign minister is scheduled to meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The high-level economic delegation will hold a consultation session with their Syrian counterparts to discuss avenues for joint action aimed at supporting the Syrian economy, strengthening government institutions, and achieving the aspirations of the Syrian people.
