Hiding behind a Turkish-Kurdish Love Affair
A young Turkish man once asked me why Kurds resort to violence instead of peaceful dialogue to solve the Kurdish question in Turkey. I told him: ”You imprison our politicians and do not give them a chance to speak. You try starting a dialogue when your voice is consistently silenced.”
The imprisonment continues; more and more pro-Kurdish politicians are arrested on a daily basis for promoting “the propaganda of an illegal organisation,” meaning the Kurdish rebel group PKK. In reality, whoever speaks up against the violation of human rights carried out by the Turkish state is accused of promoting division of the Turkish people, disrupting “national security” and posing a threat to the territorial integrity of Turkey.
Now more than ever Turkey has a reason to fear Kurdish aspirations: the economy of Kurdistan Regional Government is flourishing and independence does not seem impossible. West Kurdistan (the part within Syrian borders) was more or less invisible until the Syrian uprising began and Kurds started partaking in protests demanding not only the resignation of the Syrian regime but also protection of Kurdish rights.
In its prevention of the growing strive for unification among Kurds, Turkey is taking the same stance with the Kurds across the Syrian border as it is with the Kurds at home: making the aim of achieving a self-ruled region a matter of giving “terrorism” (i.e. PKK) a place to grow. This gives Turkey an excuse for reacting inappropriately harsh; ”the purpose justifies the means”.
The position Turkey has taken on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is different. A recent article Iraqi Kurds favor Turkey as it struggles with Kurdish issue at home in Today’s Zaman describes the relationship between Turkey and KRG as following:
As much as Turkey struggles with its domestic Kurdish problem, the love affair between Kurds in northern Iraq and the Turks of Anatolia is not only visible, but deeply felt.“If a driver realizes that you’re Turkish, he will say, ‘You are one of us,’ and he will not let you pay the fare,” said a Turkish diplomat who has been living in Arbil for two years in reference to Iraqi Kurdish taxi drivers.
The article lists several points of Turkey’s influence and control in the KRG but the most vital excerpt to emphasise is the part where the ”turkification of KRG” is almost proudly stated:
In Arbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the fourth largest city in Iraq with a population of 1.5 million, it is easy to get confused about whether you are in Turkey or northern Iraq. The names of many of its shops, cafés and restaurants are the same as those you would see in Turkey, so when you get disoriented as to your location, the Arabic alphabet on shop signs is often the first reminder that you’re south of the Turkish border.
In the quote the KRG is referred to as ”northern Iraq” and in a press statement released by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs only a few months ago, the word ”Kurdistan” was carefully avoided even though the statement was about the Kurdistan Regional Government. The purpose of the article is clearly to make a point of the fact that Turkey has a good and tight grip on KRG. Turkey hardly wants to befriend Kurds but is merely eager to gain some leverage in KRG because it might be strategically beneficial for them in the near future.
The ”good” relationship between Turkey and the KRG should not be used to overshadow the fact that Turkey has a huge problem at home. Yet it seems that the Turkish-Kurdish love affair is exploited by Turkey to mend its image in regard to the violations of Kurdish rights and other grave human rights abuses.
The love affair gives Turkey the opportunity to say: ”We do not have a problem with Kurds, just look at how we more than any other country support the developments in the Kurdistan Regional Government. At home, we do not have a Kurdish question, we merely have an issue with terrorists.” This is a standpoint that must be challenged because this way of thinking could easily be accepted and it will weaken the unification of the Kurdish people and the ongoing struggle for peace and freedom.
The article also quotes a sociologist who says: “Economic, cultural and strategic factors are behind this love affair. Turkey seems to be the only exit for the Kurds of KRG to the civilized world.”
Turkey is a gateway to the civilised world? Since when has deliberate massacres of unarmed civilians, censorship and detainment of countless journalists, persecution of democratically elected politicians and imprisonment and raping of children in Turkish jails been the definition of civility?
This is no love affair.
Comments
Dear Writher,
What should the Kurds of North Iraq doe? You wright like the KRG has let the Kurds of Turkey down. But are the Kurds of Irak not still the Kurds who have not complied to Turkeys objection of the PKK in North Irak? Was it not Talabani that has said that we will never surrender one Kurdish Cat let alone A Kurdish person. Is it not the KRG that has received Syrian Kurdish refugees and has trained Syrian Kurds, Turkey really loved that, didn’t they? Kurds of Turkey should also understand that sometimes economic ties will lead to change in foreign relation policy! Couple years ago Kurds of Iraq could not fly an airplane over Turkey, because it had the Kurdish flag on it. This year Erdogan came to Erbil himself in person, when you come to Erbil there are hindered signs that says welcome in Kurdistan. He must have loved that!
From your brothers in north Irak!
Dear Diwan,
You have misunderstood me. I did not criticise KRG anwhere in the article. I only pointed out that Turkey will use the financial ties with KRG as a way to present itself as a friend of Kurds when it is not. My article is merely pointing out that Turkey should be criticised for exploiting the relationship with KRG.
So please, read the article again.
as a Kurd from Turkey ( North Kurdistan) i am totally agree with Naila Bozo! and I can add one more thing for sure Kurds from Iraq really likes Turkey and they want to be like them!!! Money Money Money! i can understand them, and Kurds from Iraq must live free and rich because they fight many years, and its not their problem if there is a problem in Surie or Turkey! we Kurds from Turkey already lost our hopes from Kurds from Iraq! but one more thing for sure we will fighth till END!!!!
This article gives somehow a ralistic vieuw towards the rlationship of Turkey and the Kurdistan Rgional Government and the stregthening of this relation in the basic of economy, culture and social ties. I think to this moment it is the right one and it helps to establish political understanding. It stated that the anti-Kurdish idea from the head of ordinary and political Turkish people is too much removd away. This relationship for sure it pushs the issue of the Kurds in Turkey to a real dialogue as the relation with KRG is healthy and is put into the consideration.
Pingback: AFKR: Hiding behind a Turkish-Kurdish Love Affair | Cem's International Turkish Digest