President Donald Trump has told President Recep Tayyip Erdogan he had issued instructions that weapons should not be provided to Kurdish YPG fighters in Syria, according to Turkey's foreign minister.
“Our discomfort regarding the provision of weapons to the YPG was conveyed to Mr Trump once again... Trump very clearly said he had given instructions to not provide weapons to the YPG,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara.
“We welcome the promise of not providing weapons to the YPG, and want to see it implemented practically.”
Mr Cavusoglu said Mr Trump relayed his decision during a telephone conversation between the Turkish and U.S. leaders on Friday. Cavusoglu was present in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's office during the telephone call.
Turkey considers the Kurdish Syrian fighters, known by the initials YPG, to be terrorists because of their affiliation to outlawed Kurdish rebels in Turkey. A US decision to arm the fighters soured relations between the two Nato allies.
Mr Cavusoglu also said that Russia, Iran and Turkey would decide jointly who would attend Syrian peace talks. Turkey has said it would not accept the presence of YPG representatives.
There was no immediate comment from the White House, the State Department or the Pentagon. But Turkey's announcement appeared to catch at least some U.S. officials who work on Syria issues off-guard, with several saying they were unaware of any plans to alter U.S. assistance to the Kurds. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Earlier, Mr Trump tweeted that he'd be speaking with Mr Erdogan “about bringing peace to the mess that I inherited in the Middle East.”
Associated Press
