France’s Macron warns Turkey against ‘invasion’ of Syrian Kurdistan Posted on January 31, 2018 by Editorial Staff in France, Kurdistan, Turkey

France’s Macron warns Turkey against ‘invasion’ of Syrian Kurdistan
Posted on January 31, 2018 by Editorial Staff in France, Kurdistan, Turkey

PARIS,— French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview Wednesday that he would have a “real problem” with Turkey’s intervention against a Kurdish militia in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) if it turned into an outright “invasion”.

In an interview with Le Figaro daily, coming as Turkey considers expanding the offensive, Macron said: “If the operation became more than fighting a potential terrorist threat on the Turkish border and turns out to be an invasion operation, we would have a real problem with that.”

Turkey launched operation “Olive Branch” on January 20 against the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the Kurdish region of Afrin, supporting Ankara-backed Syrian fighters which are considered as mercenary fighters for Turkey, with ground troops and air strikes.

Turkish airstrikes pounded the Afrin region on Tuesday and fighting raged on two fronts as Ankara pursued its offensive against the Kurdish enclave.

Ankara, which still denies the constitutional existence of its own Kurds numbering to 22.5 million, fears the creation of a Kurdish autonomous region or Kurdish state in Syrian Kurdistan could encourage separatism amongst its own Kurds.

US President Trump last week urged Erdogan to “de-escalate” his forces’ assault on Afrin as he expressed concern about “the destructive and false” anti-American rhetoric emanating from Turkey.

Washington regards the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its powerful military wing YPG/YPJ, as key ally against Islamic State IS and the most effective fighting force against IS in Syria and has provided them with arms, air support as well as the military advisers.

The YPG has seized swathes of Syria from IS.

In 2013, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) — the political branch of the powerful People’s Protection Units (YPG) — has established three autonomous Cantons of Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin and a Kurdish government across Syrian Kurdistan in 2013.

On March 17, 2016, Kurdish authorities announced the creation of a “federal region” made up of those semi-autonomous regions in Syrian Kurdistan.

The Kurds, who represent about 15 percent of the Syrian population, nearly 3 million Kurds live in Syrian Kurdistan.

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