Turkey: What Will Ankara Consider?

He told Washington, ‘The US should take the fight against the PKK terrorist group seriously.’ This message is important, for the US’ stance on the PKK/KADEK issue will be the most important single factor in Ankara’s decision. In the view of both civilian and military officials, this decision will be critical for Turkey’s future. Therefore they want this to be clarified so as to satisfy Ankara not only on paper, but also in practice.

The military officials’ recent thoughts are as follows: ‘Turkey should help the US and the Iraqi people, but what about Turkey’s security concerns? Turkey can help Iraq by securing a large sector. Our military strength and ability are up to it. However, while such a contribution looms, saying that Ankara shouldn’t be interested in northern Iraq is ludicrous. There is a threat to Turkey in that region. In such a situation, it would be unfair to expect Ankara to be uninterested in northern Iraq and to send its soldiers only to other regions. The US made a promise about the fight against terrorism, but that’s not enough. We must see this in practice as well.’

The military officials added, ‘Washington should make a strategic decision, too. Will the US have strategic cooperation with Turkey or with certain local powers and groups in the region instead? It should make its preference known. It seems the US is finally aware of the depth and huge scale of the problem it faces in Iraq. Under these circumstances it should base its relations with Turkey on strategic cooperation. Turkey can’t tolerate tactical approaches or fence-sitting.’

Before deciding, Ankara will consider these factors and then make its decision accordingly. After the military negotiations conclude, Ankara will look for the same criteria and guarantees in the political realm as well.”