‘Slip of the Tongue’: Turkey Denies Ceasefire Deal with Kurds, as Erdogan Teases Expansionism

Latest Developments

Turkey Denies Ceasefire With U.S.-Backed Syrian Forces: Turkey’s Defense Ministry denied on December 19 that it had agreed to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), despite a State Department announcement the previous day. “As Turkey, it is out of the question for us to have talks with any terrorist organization. The statement must have been a slip of the tongue,” a Turkish official told reporters. On December 17, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller claimed during a press briefing that a ceasefire between Turkey and the SDF around the northern Syrian city of Manbij, initially agreed to the previous week, had been extended until December 20, with talks continuing for further extensions. Separately, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on December 18 that Syria’s new government had to “properly” address the Kurdish forces in northern Syria so that there would be no reason for Turkey to launch an offensive.

Erdogan Appears to Threaten Expansion: Speaking at a scientific awards ceremony on December 18, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seemingly threatened territorial expansion when he said: “The events in Syria remind us that Turkey is bigger than Turkey itself.” Erdogan added that “Turkey is not just a place confined in an area of 782,000 square kilometers” and that Ankara has to act in line with the “mission” that history “designated for us.”

United States Watching For Escalation in Kobani: While simultaneously fighting ISIS alongside an international coalition that includes the United States, Turkey and its proxy Syrian National Army (SNA) have also engaged in battles with the SDF. Turkey considers the SDF a terrorist group, as it is led by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units — an affiliate of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey. Reports on December 17 indicated that Turkish and SNA forces were building up for a cross-border attack on the city of Kobani, which U.S. officials fear is a sign of imminent conflict.

FDD Expert Response

“The Erdogan government is creating the pretense for a military operation in Syria that targets the Kurds. By placing responsibility for dealing with the Kurds solely in the hands of the new Syrian government, Turkey is planning to take advantage of any security incident to justify a larger Turkish military presence in northern Syria.” — Tyler Stapleton, FDD Action Director of Congressional Relations

“It is not clear what Turkey’s intentions toward Syria are. On the surface, it appears to be focused on disbanding and dislocating the American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, whom the world has admired for eliminating ISIS and whom Erdogan labels as terrorists. At a deeper level, Erdogan may be intending to cleanse northern Syria of its Kurdish population and replace Kurdish-majority settlements with Syrian Arab refugees currently dwelling in Turkey. He does not want a Kurdish-majority population dwelling across the border. Most worryingly, Erdogan may go further and annex parts of northern Syria, as he is threatening to do. There are clear warning signs that Turkey is trying to fundamentally restructure and reshape the boundaries of the region.”— Sinan Ciddi, Non-Resident Senior Fellow