Turkey's Erdogan says France is abetting terrorists

ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday accused France of abetting terrorists by “hosting them” at the Elysee Palace, amid a diplomatic row between the NATO allies over Paris’s support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“France is abetting terrorists by hosting them at the presidential palace… as long as you nurture these terrorists, the West will drown,” Erdogan told his supporters in the southwestern province of Denizli.

Last month, Turkey said a French pledge to help stabilise a region of northern Syria controlled by Kurdish-dominated forces amounted to support for terrorism and could make France a “target of Turkey”.

Read More: Erdogan warns of ‘ethnic war’ risk over Iraqi Kurdish independence

Erdogan conveys Turkey’s unease over US support for Kurdish militants

Last year in August, Erdogan told US Secretary of Defence James Mattis that Turkey felt unease over US support for Kurdish militant group YPG, presidential sources said.

In a statement following meetings between Mattis and Turkish officials, the sources said the two sides emphasized the importance of maintaining the territorial integrity of Syria and Iraq.

During the meeting, Erdogan told Mattis that Turkey was “uneasy over the US support” for the YPG, presidential sources told journalists.