ANKARA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Türkiye and Syria share the same "intentions and perspective" regarding the status of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said here Thursday.

Sharing details of his recent visit to Damascus, Fidan told reporters that the two sides are on the same page "on issues such as the group's intentions, capabilities, and control of energy resources."

"In Damascus, we have addressed how the group will act under the agreement and its timeline. The elimination of the group's military capabilities is a priority for us," Fidan said.

He called it "unacceptable" for the YPG to "possess critical capabilities such as weapons, missile production, and air defense systems," and noted the presence of foreign fighters within the YPG as another major concern.

"The existing elements must disband, lay down their arms, and fully integrate under the central government's control. This is a necessity. The central government must be capable of assuming full command and control," he said.

Türkiye sees the YPG group as the Syrian branch of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States, and the European Union, had been rebelling against the Turkish government for more than three decades.

The PKK declared a ceasefire with the Turkish government on March 1, following the call of its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan for disarmament and dissolution.

Meanwhile, Fidan told reporters that Syria's neighboring countries will activate their military and intelligence capabilities against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

According to Fidan, technical teams are finalizing the necessary preparations for a joint counter-IS operations center, whose establishment was announced earlier this month at a meeting in Jordan among Syria's neighboring countries. Enditem

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