Turkey warns Kurds in Syrian Kurdistan against pursuing autonomy

ANKARA,— Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Tuesday issued a warning to Kurds in Syrian Kurdistan and other groups in Syria, declaring that any pursuit of autonomy or separatism would be treated as a direct threat to Turkey’s national security and could lead to military intervention.

Speaking at a joint press conference with the foreign minister of El Salvador in Ankara, where the two officials discussed bilateral cooperation, Fidan stated that Turkey remains committed to Syria’s territorial integrity.

He criticized recent Israeli military actions inside Syria and cautioned regional actors against using the instability in southern Syria to advance political agendas.

“If you go beyond maintaining your cultural and religious identity and instead employ violence to divide and destabilize Syria, we will interpret this as a direct threat to our national security, and we will respond accordingly,” Fidan said.

“Whatever your views or demands may be, if they do not involve division, we are willing to support them. But if that red line is crossed, we will not leave ourselves vulnerable,” he added.

Turkey supports the interim Syrian government led by Islamist leader Ahmad al-Sharaa, and also backs an agreement between the interim authority and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the de facto army of the Autonomous Administration in Syrian Kurdistan, which includes a proposal for integration of the SDF into Syria’s national army structure.

Fidan’s comments followed a week of heightened violence in southern Syria, particularly in Sweida province, where clashes between Druze militias and Sunni Bedouin Arab tribes have resulted in the reported deaths of hundreds of Druze civilians.

The violence prompted Israeli airstrikes targeting Syrian government convoys in Sweida and striking the Ministry of Defense building in central Damascus. Israel stated the actions were conducted to protect Druze populations.

A Syrian government fact-finding committee reported Tuesday that a total of 1,426 people were killed in March, including during attacks on security personnel and subsequent mass killings of members of the Alawite community.

Fidan said that trying to secure autonomy or independence through external backing and violent unrest will not succeed. “Seeking autonomy or independence from bloodshed created with external involvement is a path that leads nowhere,” he said. “Now is the time to unify and protect cultural and religious identity within an integrated structure.”

Since 2016, Turkey has carried out several military operations inside Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), targeting Kurdish groups while citing border security concerns.

Turkish forces have captured large portions of Kurdish territory, advancing as far as 30 kilometers into Syrian territory, despite the absence of direct threats from Kurdish forces.

Analysts state that Turkey, which does not constitutionally recognize its Kurdish population — estimated at nearly 30 percent of its 85 million citizens — fears that an autonomous Kurdish region or independent Kurdish state in Rojava could encourage separatist tendencies among its own Kurdish population.

The Autonomous Administration, officially formed in 2018, manages the region according to the principles of democratic confederalism.

This approach prioritizes direct democracy, gender equality, secular governance, and environmental protection. It has gained broad recognition for promoting the involvement of women in politics and local governance.

(With files from AP | Agencies)