Turkish FM lashes out at US delivery of arms to Kurdish fighters

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has described US weapon shipments to Kurds in Syria fighting to liberate ISIS's de facto capital of Raqqa as "extremely dangerous" and cited the impossibility of a “temporary partner.”

"Our attitude towards helping YPG [Peoples' Protection Units] in Syria is clear," the foreign minister said in a joint press conference on Wednesday with Slovenia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec in the Turkish capital. "We emphasize how risky YPG support is for the future of Syria."

The US, which leads the international coalition against ISIS, confirmed on Tuesday that it has begun metering out vehicles and small arms to the Kurdish elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

"The weapons given to the terrorist organization can be used against all humanity," Cavusoglu cautioned. "Many countries in Europe have this concern. These steps are extremely dangerous in terms of Syria's national unity and border integrity."

Ankara is concerned that the weapons could be used by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to continue its three-decade-long insurgency against the government in Turkey.

US military officials have said US and Turkish generals and commanders coordinate together on a daily basis, while  US President Donald Trump tried reassured his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a joint press conference earlier this month.

"We support Turkey in the fight against ISIS and the PKK," Trump said. "They'll have no safe quarter."

Cavusoglu expressed doubt that the US can follow through in the long run.

"If we are looking for stability in the future of Syria, we need to return from these fallacies," he said. "There is no such thing as a temporary partner. We have seen it in Manbij. "