Ankara expects U.S. to stop arming Syrian Kurds after IS defeat - PM

Yıldırım held talks with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in Washington and the sides discussed a range of bilateral and international issues
Friday, 10 November 2017 16:12

Turkey expects that the United States will stop supplying Syria's Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) with weapons due to the fact that the issue of defeat of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group will soon be closed, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said.

On Thursday, Yıldırım held talks with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in Washington and the sides discussed a range of bilateral and international issues.

"We also received the promise from Pence to keep better track of weapons provided to the YPG ... Pence said U.S. understands Turkey's sensitivity about the YPG; their partnership is temporary and will last only a little longer now that Raqqa operation is complete," Yıldırım said.

Ankara considers the YPG to be affiliated with the militant Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist group in Turkey, the United States and the European Union. 

According to Yıldırım, the issue of extradition of Islamist cleric Fethullah Gülen, one of the masterminds of last years coup attempt, was also raised during the meeting.

"We have requested a concrete step in the extradition of Gülen ... It makes us wonder if there is a reason that no steps are being taken in Gülen's extradition," the prime minister said.

Yıldırım added that it was a very productive meeting and said that the two sides are committed to normalisation of the bilateral relations.