The Kurdish Issue and the Relations Between Iran and Turkey (2002-2016)

Document Type : علمی - پژوهشی

Authors

Abstract

Today, the importance of Kurdish issue in the Middle East is more than ever. The rise of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq and the recent autonomy of the Kurds in northern Syria combined with the ongoing insurgency of the PKK against Turkey have empowered the Kurds and challenged the existing “political map” of the Middle East. Turkey and Iran’s common interests in the issue of Kurdish separatists made their opposition to Kurdish independence in northern Iraq and their intelligence and operational cooperation on PKK and PJAK. The tension between the two countries in connection with some regional developments, including developments in Syria had a negative impact in relation to the cooperation between the two countries on the issue of separatism. The aim of this paper is to examine the impact of the Kurdish issue in relations between Iran and Turkey during the AKP era. Therefore, the main question is that what are the impacts of Kurdish issue on the relations between Iran and Turkey in AKP era.This article first discusses the recent developments in northern Iraq and later the problem of the emergence of PKK and PJAK and the effects of their armed conflicts on Iran-Turkey relations has been analyzed. Cooperation between Iran and Turkey because of the international system support of the Kurdish separatist movement and turn it into a long-held ambition for the Kurds is essential.

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