COMMENT: Israel and U.S. support for Syrian Kurds straining ties with Türkiye
Amid ongoing tensions in Syria and northern Iraq, Türkiye continues to closely monitor the activities of Kurdish armed groups. In an interview withNews.az, Turkish expert on international relations Engin Özer commented on the current situation surrounding the PKK and Syrian Kurdish formations.
“Abdullah Öcalan has been under Turkish custody and imprisoned for 25 years. Therefore, we cannot say with certainty that his statements will be positively received or that the PKK leadership will respond to them,” Özer noted.
According to the expert, this is not the first time Öcalan has proposed such an ambitious political plan. However, he emphasized that, so far, there has been no positive response from the PKK leadership in northern Iraq or from Kurdish groups in Syria. “We have not seen any encouraging signals from Syrian Kurdish leaders,” he added.
Özer also pointed out a significant shift in the geography of Kurdish militant activity. “In recent years, nearly all terrorist elements have withdrawn from Türkiye. They are now located beyond our borders and are mostly affiliated with the PKK, operating under the control of Kurdish armed groups in Syria,” he explained.
He stressed that Türkiye is currently not facing major security problems with the PKK within its own territory. “Our primary challenge now is to block attempts by Kurdish groups in Syria to gain autonomy. This is our most important and urgent priority,” Özer stated.
Engin Özer also drew attention to the external support these Kurdish groups are allegedly receiving. He pointed out that Israel is known to be providing direct intelligence to them. Moreover, both the United States and Israel are said to be offering political support, and there are even rumors that Israel may be providing financial assistance to the Syrian Kurdish formations.
“This is undoubtedly damaging Turkish-Israeli relations. In fact, diplomatic ties between Türkiye and Israel are virtually nonexistent at the moment, and the situation continues to deteriorate,” the expert said. He added that such developments could destabilize the region — something that could ultimately benefit Iran. Azerbaijan, too, could be affected by these dynamics.
When it comes to Türkiye’s current strategy, Özer said military options are not the solution. Diplomacy must take center stage. “What’s crucial now are diplomatic maneuvers. Türkiye must work closely with the United States to prevent Kurdish groups from obtaining any form of autonomy — whether in the shape of autonomous governance, federal structures, or any kind of self-rule,” he said.
According to him, this is where Turkish diplomatic efforts are currently focused. As for the possibility of establishing new Turkish military bases in the region, Özer clarified that such plans are not on the table at this stage. On the contrary, the priority now is to secure concrete international guarantees for regional stability.
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