Ties between France and Turkey have been strained in recent years, mainly because of their divergent regional policies ISTANBUL: Talks since Sunday between a French delegation and Kurdish parties in northeast Syria hint at a new source of tension between Paris and Ankara. The talks are part of efforts to unify Syrian Kurds in preparation for a potential peace settlement in the war-torn country. The French delegation first met with the Kurdish National Alliance (HNKS), which is close to the Democratic Union Party (PYD). The delegation reportedly engaged in direct talks with the PYD leadership the day after. Turkey considers the PYD and its military wing, the People’s Protection Units (YPG), as extensions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has fought for autonomy in Turkey for more than three decades and is designated a terrorist group by Ankara, the US and EU. France, which hosted Syrian-Kurdish delegations in Paris last year, has not released an official statement about the visit. Ties between France and Turkey have been strained in recent years, mainly because of their divergent regional policies. French President Emmanuel Macron has criticized Turkey’s military offensive launched in October 2019 in YPG-controlled areas of northern Syria, and has met with senior Syrian-Kurdish officials. In return, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Macron of sponsoring terrorism.