The sudden turn of “Erdogan’s” positions towards “Ocalan”; Containment of Syrian Kurds is on the agenda
Mehr News, International Group: Mostly these days Turkish media and political circles are once again talking about peace and negotiation. It is said that the ultimate goal of this negotiation is to disarm the PKK terrorist group and end the long-term conflict that started in 1984 and is still ongoing. But political analysts are skeptical about this issue and believe that the timing of this new decision by Erdogan is closely related to the political developments in Syria. In the past few decades, the PKK and the Turkish government have repeatedly taken steps towards negotiations and a ceasefire, but the talks have not reached a clear result.
Suzjo newspaper, as the most widely circulated newspaper in Turkey, announced that Öcalan sent a message to Erdogan through two Kurdish representatives and announced that it is necessary for the government to first step 4,000 release 500 prisoners who are members or supporters of the PKK. But Ahmed Hakan, the editor of Hurriyet newspaper of Ankara, denied this issue and considered such a thing as a baseless rumor. At the same time, Abdul Qadir Salvi, one of the famous analysts close to Erdoğan, also announced that PKK political and military officials and commanders in Qandil Mountain do not want to comply with Öcalan’s demands and consider disarmament as a dangerous issue that must be preconditioned. be fulfilled in advance.
Erdogan’s sudden turn about Assad and Öcalan
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the leader of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is a politician whose political turns are often quick and sudden. Until two months ago, Erdogan repeatedly insisted that he wants to receive Bashar al-Assad in Istanbul or Ankara and that Turkey-Syria relations return to normal. He also said in response to reporters’ questions about the possibility of resuming peace talks with the PKK that the attacks of the Turkish army against this terrorist group will continue with full force and the government has no goal other than the complete destruction of this group. But after some time, Erdogan allowed the media to comment on the possible conditions of Ocalan’s release, at the suggestion of his political partner, Dolat Baghceli, the far-right leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
Erdogan announced a few months ago in a conversation with A HABER TV channel that there is no such thing as “Kurdish problem” in Turkey and whatever it is ; It is “the problem of terrorism” that must be solved by coercive force. Erdogan also used a new term like “Kurdistan” and said about the political structure of the Kurds in northern Syria: “We will not allow a terror camp to form near our border.” But now, with a 180-degree turn, it has been announced that on the 11th and 12th of January, he will give a speech to the people of the two Kurdish cities of Diyarbakir and Sanli-Orfa, and will share with the people the plans of his party and government to address the demands of the Kurds.
After the recent developments in Syria, Erdogan immediately supported the terrorist organizations of Tahrir al-Sham and Jolani, and two members of parliament were sent to Imrali prison to meet with Abdullah Ocalan. became The members of the two-person delegation that met with Öcalan in Imralı prison, Parvin Boldan and Seri Soraya Onder, are representatives of the “Democracy and Equality Party” (DEMPARTI). They had already read Ocalan’s message to the people and the media to end the armed activities in Diyarbakir’s Nowruz ceremony in 2013, but it wasn’t long before the war and conflict continued. Therefore, there is no guarantee that a clear result will be obtained this time.
After meeting with Öcalan, these two representatives conveyed his messages to the government and security authorities, and at the same time, at the beginning of the new year, to They went to meet the leaders of other political parties in Turkey to get their support.
Dolat Bagheli, who is known as a far-right nationalist politician, in a meeting with the delegation of Kurdish representatives in the parliament, spoke of the necessity of “Turkish-Kurdish peace and brotherhood”. spoke Meanwhile, during the peace talks in 2023, he accused Erdogan of colluding with terrorists to divide Türkiye. It is interesting to note here that Ahmed Turk, the famous Kurdish politician of Turkey, is also a member of the delegation that meets with the heads of Turkish parties. The newspaper published in Ankara has stated in a report: “There are many contradictions regarding the attitude of Erdogan’s government. Ahmed Turk was the mayor of the Kurdish city of Mardin, and a month ago, he was dismissed for supporting terrorism, and now he is considered the ambassador of peace and brotherhood. It is not clear what justification the government has for doing these actions.”
Kurdish representatives, in continuation of their talks with the heads of Kurdish political parties, are supposed to meet with the heads of all parties, but Dervish Yasavnoglu, the leader of the “Khub” nationalist party. IYI PARTI) has announced that the doors of his party are closed to these people and he is not willing to meet with the enemies of Türkiye.
Now the eyes of Turkish political commentators are focused on what the political and security team of the Turkish presidency, on the eve of Donald Trump’s coming to power in the United States, has planned for Syria has it because the US has so far openly supported the Kurdish militia affiliated to the PKK in northern Syria and the Turkish army has not been able to attack the areas east of the Euphrates by land due to the presence of the American occupation forces. In clear words, Erdogan’s political goals and motivations regarding negotiations with the Kurds and using the role of Abdullah Ocalan have a clear connection with Trump’s future actions.
Therefore, we can think of this possible scenario that if Trump orders the complete withdrawal of American military forces from northern Syria, then Erdogan’s team will have a reason to continue. He does not see negotiations with the Kurds. But if the news of the transfer of military and logistics equipment to the city of Kobani for the construction of a new American military base is true, Turkey will try to contain the Kurds in northern Syria through long negotiations.
