Turkish president Erdogan has lashed out against Washington, saying the US should choose between Ankara and the Kurds as its partner. The Turkish leader fiercely criticized the US government after Washington sent an envoy to the city of Kobani controlled by Syrian Kurds.
The US government sent the envoy led by Brett McGurk to Kobani in Northern Syria to speak with representatives of the military wing of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).
Ankara considers the PYD a terrorist organization, because of its alleged affiliation with the Kurdistan Workers Party — which is outlawed in Turkey. According to the Turkish government, the fact that the Syrian Kurds are fighting against Daesh doesn't disqualify them from being terrorists.
Meanwhile, analysts suggest the visit of the US representative to Kobani has escalated tensions between the United States and Turkey, which disagree on the way Ankara treats the Syrian Kurds.
According to US officials, as cited by the Wall Street Journal, Ankara’s hostility towards Kurds is putting more strain on Turkey’s relations with the US. In particular, it undermines efforts to boost operationsagainst Daesh and hampers the process of peace settlement to the Syrian conflict.
Jordi Tejel, academic expert on the Kurdish movement, an Honorary Research Fellow at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies of the University of Exeter, told Radio Sputnik that Washington will continue to support the Kurds, while at the same time trying to convince Ankara to start cooperation with its longtime rival.
Credit to Sputnik
Read more: http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160209/1034467615/syria-crisis-turkey-kurds.html#ixzz3zgwhkpl6
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