PYD leader told EU Parliament: Turkey supporting ISIS

[Anthea]

PYD leader to European Parliament:
Turkey still supporting ISIS
Reporting by: Wladimir van Wilgenburg

The co-head of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) Salih Muslim said during a visit to the European parliament that Turkey intervened in Syria because they support ISIS, which failed to resist against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“This Turkish invasion in Jarabulus, into Rojava, and Syria, is not a sudden incident; the Turkish government has its own project, and still considers Rojava and Syria part of the Ottoman empire. Turkey has been trying to accomplish its goals in northern Syria by supporting and using Daesh [ISIS], and we have already some evidences that we can submit to you,” Salih Muslim, the co-head of the PYD said in a joint press-conference with David Vergili, a representative for the European Syriac Union in Brussels.

“[These evidences], showing relations between ISIS and Turkish government, we can give it to you. Turkey has been using ISIS for this purpose, and when ISIS failed because of the struggle of Rojava people –Kurds, Christians and Arabs– Turkey was forced to do it by its own hand [in Jarabulus],” he said.

“The model we established in Rojava is a very democratic model, and could be a model for the Middle East, and because of that we can now find relations between the Turkish government, Assad regime, and even Iranians support, all of them together want to destroy this model,” the Kurdish leader said.

Furthermore, the PYD-head said they have been suffering under an embargo. “From Turkey, ISIS, and the KRG [Iraqi Kurdistan]. We have been suffering from this embargo for three years,” he said.

“We already have camps for displaced people in the cantons of Cezire, Kobane and Afrin,” he said. “Since we did not get any support, we’ve been trying to support the refugees by ourselves. And due to the current embargo on Rojava, NGOs cannot get aid to those camps.”

Therefore, the PYD leader called for more support from the European Union and stop the embargo on Rojava in order to allow medicines to enter the region.

Speaking to ARA News, David Vergil, representative of the European Syriac Union in Brussels, said that they called on the EU to give more support to the Syrian Democratic Forces as ‘one of the most effective ground force fighting ISIS’.

The official said that the local Self-Administration of Rojava could help in defeating ISIS, but also help with solving the refugee and migrant crisis if supported by the EU–since they are hosting thousands of Syrians that fled from the regime and ISIS.

“It is in Europe’s interest to support these two entities [the SDF and Rojava Administration] to ease the migrant and refugee crisis can be eased in Europe,” Vergili told ARA News. “Also, by supporting the SDF, the ISIS threat can be defused.”

“We also requested clear declaration from the EU and Madam Mogherini [vice-president of EU commission] to show their support to the SDF forces in the fight against terrorism,” he added.

http://aranews.net/2016/09/pyd-leader-t ... ting-isis/