Hosting members of the PKK terrorist group's Syrian wing, the YPG, at the French senate last Saturday is not binding for the French government, a spokesperson for the country’s Foreign Ministry claimed Thursday.
"There is division of powers in France and the senate runs as per an independent schedule," spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre told reporters at a weekly news conference in Paris as she dismissed a question about awarding of medals of "honor" to two members of the PKK/YPG.
While praising the PKK/YPG for leading a "determined fight" against Daesh in northern Syria, Legendre claimed her country in the meantime maintained its cooperation with Türkiye against the PKK, which is recognized as a terrorist group in Türkiye, the United States and the European Union.
When an Anadolu Agency (AA) reporter argued, "The link between the PKK and YPG, as well as the so-called leaders of the two groups, known for bloody terrorist attacks, were known facts," Legendre said, "Paris considers the PKK and YPG separately and I have nothing more to say about this."
She also glossed over another question about whether France would recognize an organization as a terrorist group if it merely changes name and location while preserving its cast, saying, "I do not answer rhetorical questions as a principle."
Following last Saturday’s incident, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned French Ambassador to Ankara Herve Magro on Monday to convey its "strong condemnation," saying it was "unacceptable" for Paris to "honor" terrorists despite the repeated security concerns and warnings of its NATO ally.
"The attacks of the PKK/YPG against our country and Syrians, and their separatist and destabilizing activities in the region have been brought to the attention of the ambassador once again," Turkish diplomatic sources said.
Ankara expects French authorities to not give credit to the efforts that provide international legitimacy to PKK's extensions in Syria, the sources said.
Ankara also requests France support the security of Turkish borders and the people, as well as to protect Syria's unity and territorial integrity, and show solidarity in accordance with the spirit of an ally, they added.
YPG members have frequently been hosted and supported by French officials.
Though normally officially banned, the terrorist group also has a presence in numerous European countries and frequently garners support across the continent, which has become one of the stumbling blocks in bilateral ties between Türkiye and its NATO allies.
The U.S. in a similar fashion regularly meets PKK/YPG members and hosts them in the country. Since partnering with the PKK/YPG under the pretext of battling Daesh, Washington has supplied military training and truckloads of arms and ammunition to the terrorists in the region, drawing Türkiye’s ire for the dismissal of its objections and security concerns as an ally.
Most recently, the chairperson of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, visited Syria’s northeastern areas held by the PKK/YPG. The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the visit, while Washington claimed Milley "only visited U.S. soldiers."
It also denied any involvement with two helicopters that crashed in northern Iraq in mid-March with PKK/YPG terrorists on board, or providing training and funds to PKK/YPG pilots in the region.
Ankara has repeatedly condemned Western nations for their toleration and open support for the terrorist groups, whose members and sympathizers alike often hold demonstrations and rallies in front of the Council of Europe and EU institutions that target Türkiye’s unity and territorial integrity.
Officials have on numerous occasions expressed that Türkiye expects all EU institutions and member states to stand with Ankara in its fight against terrorist groups that also threaten international security.