Ankara Pressures Erbil to Tighten the Noose on Kurdish Rebels
The Turkish president declares there is no place for what he calls “terrorist organizations” in Syria under its new leadership, targeting Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq.
Discussions between the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Masrour Barzani, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, where Barzani arrived on Tuesday for an official visit, focused on several contentious issues, primarily security concerns. Turkey is pushing for the implementation of an agreement aimed at tightening control over the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which it labels a “terrorist organization” and whose positions it frequently bombards in northern Iraq under the pretext of combating terrorism.
The Turkish president’s office stated on Tuesday that Turkey is working to ensure that recent changes in Syria do not lead to new disruptions in the region. This message was reiterated during the meeting with Barzani, as illustrated by a photo released by the presidency showing the two leaders shaking hands.
The Kurdistan government clarified that “both sides stressed the need to resolve disputes between the autonomous region and the federal government based on the constitution and to remove obstacles to the export of the region’s oil” via the pipeline to Turkey’s Ceyhan port.
Ankara halted oil flows on March 25, 2023, after an international arbitration panel ruled that Turkey violated the 1973 treaty by facilitating oil exports from Kurdistan without Baghdad’s approval. Ankara refuses to pay $1.5 billion in compensation to Baghdad and has sought to complicate negotiations with additional conditions to pressure Iraq.
Barzani’s visit comes as Turkey consistently asserts that there will be no room in Syria’s future for the banned PKK and its affiliated groups, following the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by opposition forces last month.
A statement from Erdogan’s office noted that the Turkish president reiterated this message during the meeting, saying, “Turkey places great importance on maintaining Iraq’s stability and security, particularly given recent developments in Syria.”
Turkey has been demanding the dissolution of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in northeastern Syria since Assad’s fall, viewing them as an extension of the PKK, which is designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, Washington, and the EU. The YPG leads the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and played a key role in defeating ISIS between 2014 and 2017.
On Monday, Erdogan stated that the end of Kurdish militants in Syria is near and that there is “no room for terrorism” in Syria’s future after Assad’s overthrow. He also threatened to launch another cross-border operation in Syria against Kurdish armed factions if Turkey feels threatened.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized that “eliminating the PKK and YPG is only a matter of time,” citing an invitation by Syria’s new leader Ahmed Charaa for Kurdish-led forces to integrate into the Syrian National Army.
Ankara is also seen as seeking to drag Baghdad into a conflict against Kurdish fighters in northern Iraq. In August, the two countries signed a military cooperation agreement involving the establishment of joint command and training centers as part of military operations against the PKK.
The PKK has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state and is classified as a terrorist organization by Ankara and its Western allies. The Turkish military frequently carries out strikes against Kurdish fighters in Syria and Iraq, accusing them of ties to the PKK.
