“The US needs to reconsider its relationship parameters and step away from the obligation to support the PKK, which poses a threat to Turkey, particularly in the fight against ISIS (Daesh) in Syria,” Fidan said in an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic on Wednesday.
“This is a critical national security issue for us. The US sees it as a tactical necessity to keep ISIS (Daesh) members in prison. However, supporting the PKK while doing so is a national security concern for us, and it is a truly toxic issue between us and the US This has to end,” he said.
While acknowledging that the new US administration may struggle to reach an agreement with Syria’s PKK/YPG, which seeks its own governance and power base, Fidan expressed hope for a peaceful resolution to the issue.
He criticized continued US and European support for the PKK/YPG, arguing that the group has occupied one-third of Syria’s territory “via a lie” in exchange for holding ISIS (Daesh) prisoners.