ANKARA/ISTANBUL
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday it was clear that the YPG/SDF terror group only changes its position “when it faces force.”
“Everyone sees and knows that (the YPG/SDF) is an actor that only changes its position when it faces force, when force is applied,” Fidan said in a live interview with Turkish public news broadcaster TRT Haber.
“As an extension of the PKK, the SDF has this characteristic feature: it has no chance of doing anything through dialogue on its own without force or the threat of force. It either has to see force or face the threat of force,” said Fidan, referring to developments in Syria.
Emphasizing that the YPG/SDF has taken an uncompromising stance against the Damascus administration, Fidan said. “They say, ‘If I do not accept, I will call other regional and global actors to my side; I have developed certain things with them through the story of the so-called fight against DAESH.’ Because of that narrative, there are meetings with some senators, and so on. They have ongoing contacts with Israel as well.”
Stressing that the YPG/SDF needs to see that it cannot get anywhere with such actions, Fidan said, “These relations will not take you anywhere. What you need to do is to seek genuine solutions with the genuine people of the region.
“These maximalist attitudes, these deceptive moves -- constantly saying you are in favor of agreement and dialogue while in reality doing the exact opposite, not changing your hard-core position by even a centimeter -- everyone sees and knows that it is an actor that changes position only when it sees force or when force is applied,” he added.
Fidan noted that he has said it from the very beginning that relevant units, Turkish intelligence and diplomats have conveyed the issue to counterparts.
“They convey it to the SDF, they convey it to Syrians, but unfortunately, just as we had foreseen from the start, there has been no change. Now we have begun to experience the process that started in Aleppo as well,” he said. “I believe that the process will, God willing, end soon, that the parallel structure there will disappear, and that the day will come when a single state in Aleppo will begin providing services to all its citizens, regardless of ethnicity, through a single set of state institutions. That is what should happen.”
Saying that the integration model is a highly realistic project, Fidan noted that what is unrealistic is “the PKK’s lack of willingness to enter into this process.”
“The preferences, attitudes and solution proposals put forward by the US and regional actors, including Türkiye, are important, but I repeat again: the path that can be taken without resorting to violence is clear, and what needs to be done is clear,” he said, adding that the goals of countries in the region and those of the US overlapped in Syria.
"Only Israel does not overlap. Israel is currently an entity that ensures its own security through a divide-and-rule tactic, keeping surrounding countries weak,” he said.
Pointing out that it runs counter to realities in the region, Fidan said if Tel Aviv wants a genuine embrace with the region, it must act accordingly.
“If they truly care about the future of the Kurds and their welfare, they must stand within qualified, genuine, peace-based solutions that will not further turn them into enemies of the peoples and states of the region,” he said.
Stating that there is no need to experience the ordeal and the YPG/SDF must now abandon its line, Fidan said, “They should now come to the line that must be followed through peace and dialogue.”
Regarding the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Fidan said, “At this point, we are waiting for the statement of the United States, together with us, who are coordinating this. There are exchanges of views. There are certain mechanisms.”
“We essentially see that the aspects concerning Gaza, Palestine, and Hamas have been completed, but Israel is constantly trying to keep the issue at a different point by bringing different conditions and different demands onto the agenda,” he said.
On developments in Iran, Fidan said he definitely sees “that the ending Israel expects will not happen. The Iranian people know which issue, for whom, and how much reaction to show.”
He said Israeli intelligence openly urged Iranians to revolt, and Iran’s society, despite internal differences, unites in the face of external threats.
He emphasized that Türkiye wants the Iranian people not to be harmed and for problems with the US and the West to be resolved through negotiation.
Responding to a possible ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, Fidan said, “As a result of the efforts, we are currently closer to a ceasefire than ever before,” he said. “This is the closest moment, but when you look at idealism, are we truly very close?”
Fidan said any agreement will not only be between Ukraine and Russia, but also a peace agreement between Europe and Russia.
He noted that Europe needs US guarantees for peace with Russia, and American officials said they can guarantee it to a certain point.
Responding how Türkiye evaluates the detention of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro simultaneously with US air strikes against that country, Fidan said Ankara had been following the developments long before the capture.
“America had already started to use force, and later the failure of the negotiations between themselves at a certain point did not stop this war and unfortunately it resulted in that undesired incident,” he said.
Noting that he foresees concrete results beginning to be obtained in areas worked on in Türkiye–US relations in 2025, Fidan said they include CAATSA sanctions -- an American law that targets Iran, Russia and North Korea, and the Halkbank case, in which the Turkish bank is accused of helping Iran evade US sanctions.
Expressing that progress is being made toward resolution in other sanctions files, he said, “I especially see that the increase in trade will follow a more positive course. Regional solidarity is extremely important.
Stating that some US policies may create indirect effects, he said, “We have the Greenland issue ahead of us. I evaluate developments in international relations in terms of the effects they may reflect on us. We need to look at how scenarios that may occur in Greenland will directly or indirectly affect Türkiye.”
“This situation may bring a serious burden and tension to Europe, the European security architecture and transatlantic relations,” he added.
