Speaking at an interview with AA in Ankara on Wednesday, Fidan asserted that Damascus must either expel all foreign PKK members from Syrian territory or eliminate their presence entirely to preserve the country’s unity.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday he hoped President Donald Trump would end U.S. cooperation with the Syrian Kurdish YPG, as Turkey continued its military campaign against the group,

Turkey reported killing 23 Kurdish militants in northern Syria, targeting the YPG militia and the outlawed PKK. Ankara views the YPG and PKK as identical, though the U.S. sees them separately, supporting YPG in its fight against Islamic State.

The Turkish defense ministry said the fighters were members of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party PKK Turkey considers both groups to be the same while the US distinguishes between them recognizing the PKK as a terrorist organization but supporting the YPG as a key ally in the fight against Islamic State