SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) supports Sweden’s call for Turkey to withdraw its troops from northeastern Syria, general commander Mazloum Abdi said.
“We agree with Swedish FM Ann Linde comments regarding the violations committed by Turkey in northeast Syria,” Abdi said in a tweet on Wednesday night.
“We support Sweden’s call for Turkey to withdraw its forces from Syria & work on a political solution that respects Syria’s territorial integrity & political activity,” the SDF commander added.
At a tense news conference after talks in Ankara on Tuesday, Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde reiterated EU’s calls for Turkey to withdraw its troops it sent to northeastern Syria a year ago against Kurdish fighters.
“The strong EU position remains the same. We continue to urge Turkey to withdraw,” Linde said, standing alongside Turkey’s foreign minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu.
Cavusoglu noted the EU does not urge Turkey to withdraw from northwest Syria because, he said, “3 million more refugees will come to Turkey and then to European countries.”
Ankara backs rebels trying to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad backed by Russia and Iran. Turkey seized control of some northern border towns in recent years with cross border incursions to push back People’s Protection Units (YPG), which Ankara views as a terrorist group.
