ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkey has urged European countries not to allow the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) to open political offices in their capitals, arguing that it would encourage attacks against Turks and Turkey.
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yilirim joined the country's top military and intelligence officials in issuing this warning at the bi-monthly National Security Council meeting, Turkey's top security board, late on Thursday, Hurriyet news reported.
The statement comes after the PYD opened an office in central Paris on Monday. It's not officially recognized by the French foreign ministry, which also does not recognize the federal region the Syrian Kurds declared last March.
"Our priority is to defeat terrorism and create stability in Syria," said Sinam Mohamed, a PYD representative at the opening speech, according to AFP.
The opening of the PYD office in Paris follows the establishment of similar offices in Berlin, Moscow and Stockholm.
Ankara argues that by letting the PYD open offices on European soil they would serve to "encourage and give further opportunities for the bloody-handed terrorists that have created bloodshed in Turkey."
Turkey has long sought to convince the US-led coalition not to support Syrian Kurds, arguing that the PYD, and the Peoples Protection Units (YPG) are linked to the PKK, and Ankara has opposed PYD participation in the Geneva talks.
The first PYD office was opened in Moscow in February amid growing Russian support for the Kurds following its fallout with Turkey late last year.
PYD leaders say their foreign missions are to gain support for their autonomous region in Syria known as Rojava and their fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
“Our ambition is to rally support behind our Kurdish enclave in Syria through this office,” said Abdulsalam Ali during the opening of the Moscow office in February.
