Al-Monitor Reports: Ankara Holds Secret Talks with Syrian Kurds
According to webangah News Agency,the U.S.-based Al-Monitor reported that Turkish officials have engaged in confidential negotiations with representatives of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Management of North and East Syria (AANES) as spring 2023, with discussions still ongoing.
Informed sources told Al-Monitor that at least two meetings took place last year-one in France and another in Switzerland. Simultaneously, Ankara has initiated talks with Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), detained in Turkey as 1999.
The report suggests Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), following its defeat against the Republican people’s party (CHP) in local elections, sought to ease domestic tensions by reopening communication channels with Öcalan and Syrian kurdish authorities.
The sources add that Turkey is exploring normalization with Syrian Kurds, potentially including reopening border crossings closed since 2012. These crossings serve as vital economic lifelines for autonomous regions-including Arab-majority areas like Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor-controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Al-Monitor also cited unnamed sources stating that former U.S. Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey recently contacted SDF commander Mazloum Abdi, urging continued de-escalation talks with Turkey while reaffirming Washington’s support for Kurdish forces against ISIS.
