US says conditions not in place for 'free, fair, transparent and inclusive' elections in northeastern Syria

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US on Thursday said conditions for 'free, fair, transparent and inclusive' elections are not in place in northeastern Syria -- a message conveyed “to a range of actors” in the region.

“Any elections that occur in Syria should be free, fair, transparent and inclusive, as it's called for in UN Security Council Resolution 2254,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters when asked about the YPG terror group's plans to hold “local elections” June 11.

The YPG announced plans to hold municipal elections in a region it controls in northeastern Syria to gain legitimacy.

Türkiye opposed the move due to YPG's links to the PKK terror group, which is also designated as a such by the US and the EU.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday said Ankara is “closely following the aggressive actions by the terrorist organization against the territorial integrity of our country and of Syria under the pretext of an election.”

“Turkey will never allow a 'terrorland' just beyond its southern borders in the north of Syria and Iraq,” Erdogan said in an address to the military during the exercise in western Izmir province.

“We did what needed to be done before against the fait accompli, and we will not hesitate to take action again if we encounter the same situation," he added.

The US sees the YPG, which was later renamed the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a partner in the fight against Daesh/ISIS in Syria and does not recognize it as a terror group, although it does acknowledge the PKK as such.

Türkiye has never accepted US support for the YPG because of its ties to the PKK, which remains one of the major sources of contention in relations between the two NATO allies.

The PKK has waged a terror campaign against Türkiye for more than 35 years and has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 victims, according to official figures.