The United States must keep its promise to stop arms deliveries to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and Turkey does not rule out holding new military operations in Syrian northern city of Afrin controlled by YPG, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoglu said Thursday.
"Turkey does not rule out holding new military operations in the Syrian city of Afrin. For Turkey, it is a priority to ensure own security. The United States must also keep its word on stopping arming YPG and PYD," Çavuşoğlu said in Baku.
Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdağ said earlier in the day that Ankara is discussing with Russia, the United States and Iran a possible operation of the country's armed forces in Afrin, but it is too early to say anything specific on this issue. Turkey considers the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing YPG a terrorist organization linked to the armed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).
On November 24, Çavuşoğlu said U.S. President Donald Trump had reassured his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that he had ordered to cease supplies of U.S. armaments to the Syrian Kurds. However, on Monday the Pentagon said it was reviewing the need for providing support for YPG units.
