Türkiye's UN envoy warns of PKK/YPG exploiting chaos in Syria

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - Türkiye's permanent representative to the UN warned Wednesday of the threat posed by the PKK/YPG terror group.

Ahmet Yildiz conveyed Türkiye's commitment to Syria's territorial integrity and unity while noting that "one of the most dangerous consequences of the Syrian conflict has been the presence of terrorist organizations exploiting chaos to further their separatist ambitions."

"They are the biggest threat to Syria's territorial integrity," Yildiz said at a UN Security Council session on Syria.

Thanking UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and other UN members for their solidarity with Türkiye following a terror attack Wednesday in the capital Ankara on the headquarters of Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) that killed at least five people and injured 22, he affirmed that "all data validates that the PKK planned and executed this attack."

Reiterating Türkiye's warnings over the terrorist PKK and its offshoots the YPG/PYD/SDF, Yildiz said: "I hope all members will put the name of the PKK and its offshoots...in their talking points naming the terrorist organizations in Syria because many members name some kind of organizations but exclude the PKK and its offshoots."

In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq to plot attacks in nearby Türkiye.

In northern Syria, PKK/YPG terrorists seek to threaten the Turkish border while trying to harass and attack local Syrians and Turkish troops promoting stability in a region once dominated by terrorist groups due to a power vacuum in conflict-torn Syria.

Yildiz also expressed grave concern over the increasing violence in the Middle East.

"The spillover from the conflict in Gaza into the broader region has gone from a risk to a harsh reality," he said.

"Israel's indiscriminate brutal attacks on Gaza and Lebanon are having severe repercussions for Syria and the whole region.”

Yildiz urged the international community to "not abandon the Syrian population, which continues to suffer from the absence of a political resolution."

He warned that "the deepening crisis in Syria poses significant risks to regional stability in an already volatile environment."

"It is essential that all parties exercise maximum restraint to prevent further escalation," he said.