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Turkey's tough stance on Uighurs has implications for Syria

The Turkish foreign minister promised China to put an end to anti-China activities in Turkey and in the region, which means terminating support to Uighur militants.
Uighur refugee women walk where they are housed in a gated complex in the central city of Kayseri, Turkey, February 11, 2015. Thousands of members of China's Turkic language-speaking Muslim ethnic minority have reached Turkey, mostly since last year, infuriating Beijing, which accuses Ankara of helping its citizens flee unlawfully. Turkish officials deny playing any direct role in assisting the flight. Picture taken February 11, 2015. To match Insight TURKEY-CHINA/UIGHURS REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX1LZ2I

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu's trip to China on Aug. 3-4 ended with a major fracture in Turkey’s East Turkistan and Uighur policies when Turkey promised to do its utmost to eradicate anti-China forces in Turkey.

Unhindered passage of Uighurs affiliated with the East Turkistan Islamic Movement — which China considers to be a terror organization — to join the war in Syria via Turkey had caused tensions in Ankara’s ties with Beijing.

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