ANKARA, June 5 (Xinhua) -- The People's Protection Units (YPG) will be disarmed as they withdraw from Syria's Manbij under a roadmap agreed by Turkey and the United States, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday.
Speaking at a press conference in Turkey's Mediterranean province of Antalya, Cavusoglu said the weapons given to the YPG by the U.S. will be taken back.
"No third country would play a role in the withdrawal of the YPG from Manbij. The preparations will start in 10 days," he stressed.
The minister said once the Manbij plan is completed, a similar model will be applied to other areas occupied by the YPG in Syria, specifically Raqqa and Kobani.
Turkey and the United States on Monday endorsed a roadmap over security cooperation in the northern Syrian city after a meeting between Cavusoglu and his U.S. counterpart Mike Pompeo in Washington.
The roadmap includes a certain timeline that suggests the withdrawal of the YPG within 30 days after the beginning of the implementation of the roadmap.
"The step is important both for Syria's future and as an opportunity to restore our broken relations with the U.S., " Cavusoglu said, noting "that is why this roadmap needs to be fully implemented. Both sides have this determination."
Turkey regards the YPG as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), and has long been urging U.S. to remove the YPG from Manbij, where about 2,000 U.S. soldiers are currently deployed.
Relations between Turkey and the U.S. have been strained over Washington's support to the YPG, prompting fears of military clashes in Manbij between the two NATO allies.
