Obama- Erdogan- Kurds: What’s next?

• 11.11.2015, 14:13
•  America,  Region,  World

Notwithstanding Turkish President Tayipp Erdogan accusations against the US for providing support to the Kurdish forces in Syria, Barack Obama organized a phone conversation with the latter among other issues to also discuss the current situation in Syria. 

During the conversation Erdogan and Obama discussed the importance of increasing the level of cooperation between the two countries for the resolution of regional problems as well as making joint efforts  to empower the moderate Syrian opposition and to intensify pressure on ISIL terrorist organization, Hurriyet reports.

In spite of this kind of declared commitment to to combine their efforts  in Syria, the disagreements between Turkey and US on Kurds in Syria still continues to remain unresolved.

It is noteworthy that during the conversation Erdogan and Obama have stressed that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) should end its terrorist activities.

The other day Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu told CNN:

"We will not tolerate any country to provide assistance the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and its affiliated groups (Turkish official referred to People's Protection Units (YPG), Kurdish forces in Syria, which Turkey considers a branch of the PKK.), but Ankara does support the idea of arming Peshmerga (Kurdish forces in Iraq) and helping its leader Masoud Barzani."

The Turkey's long term strategy toward the Kurds in the region was under the following logic: "divide and rule." Turkey have continuously played on the existing ideological differences and strained relations between Kurds in Syria and Iraq. And Turkey's such kind of stance towards Peshmerga can be explained in the pretext of Turkey’s this very strategy.

However it should be noted that in spite of strained relations both Kurds in Syria and Iraq consider their main opponent Islamic State terrorist organization and they have already had an experience of coordinate cooperation against the IS in Kobane  and one can not exclude such kind of possibility in the future as well.