Latest from Turkey: The Insurgent PKK, Relations with Russia, the New Middle East, and Israel

Latest developments in Turkey....

What Next with the PKK?

The Kurdish separatist group, PKK, ended its unilateral truce on 28 February. Last week, its life-long-imprisoned leader Abdullah Ocalan said: “I will make the evaluation in the coming days in March. If something positive happens, the current state of inaction will continue until elections. If not, I am out, I will fade from the scene. My health situation is already not good enough to carry on this work.”

On the following day, three PKK guerillas/terrorists were killed by Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) in Sirnak. On Friday, TSK clashed with PKK members in Bingol --- four PKK members and two village guards were killed. Was this a reaction to Ocalan by PKK ’s senior officials or an organized response by PKK with Ocalan’s permission before Newroz (the Iranian New Year)?  

On Monday evening, Kurdish singer Ibrahim Tatlises was shot in the head. The PKK was suspectted of the attack, because it was believed Tatlises is running as a candidate for Parliament on the list of the ruling Justice and Development Party in June. However, the PKK announced officially that it was not behind the attack and condemned it. 

Ankara-Moscow Relations and Turkey’s Coming Nuclear Plant:

On Tuesday, Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan went to Moscow. Talking to Turkish and Russian businessmen/women. Erdogan said: “Turkish-Russian relations dating back to long ago are taking confident steps toward the future, diversifying into the fields of economy, politics, military and culture.” The remarks took in a bilateral trade volume recorded at $26.5 billion in 2010 and expected to reach $100 billion in 2015.

Ankara is determined to have Moscow establish a nuclear power plant in Mersin. In a worst-case scenario, if Iran acquires one nuclear bomb, Ankara must be able to do so. That is why, even with the Japan crisis, Turkish activists are not urging Erdogan to reconsider the plan. 

The Prime Minister announced that the requirement for visas between Moscow and Ankara will be lifted by 17 April. 

Ankara’s New Middle East:

Ankara is continuing the pursuit of its problem-solving role in the region. On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned his Saudi and Iranian counterparts against creating problems in the Middle East, calling on both sides to act with restraint following the entry of Saudi soldiers into Bahrain. 

Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi, who had criticised Turkey two weeks ago and asked why Turkey’s air space is still open if it has been attacking Kurds for years, gently asked Ankara to help just a couple of hours after the United Nations resolution for a no-fly zone and other military actions.

But on Friday, Turkey held back. Erdogan said that “Libya’s problems are our problems”, and Davotoglu gave this ambiguous statement, “We call every step that can end civilian massacres and losses as positive”. 

Relations With Israel:

Meawhile, Ankara has tried to damp down any tensions with Israel. West Jerusalem was in discomfort last week, due to Turkish plans for the launch of a satellite in 2013, providing higher-resolution pictures than that permitted by 1997 US legislation. In response to Israel worries of surveillance, PM Erdogan said last week:

We are sending our Gokturk satellite to space in 2013. Some people are disturbed by this. They say: "Turkey will watch us from space in the future." You have been watching us for many years, decades.

On Tuesday, Israel seized a ship smuggling Iranian weapons, believed to be destined to Gaza. However, Israel Defense Forces stated that Turkey was not involved even though the ship sailed from a Turkish port. 

The next day, an Iranian cargo plane was forced to land in Diyarbakir on suspicion it was carrying weapons to Syria. Nothing illegal was found, and it was freed; however, the Turkish inspection showed that Ankara has not turned its back on the State of Israel and its demands for regional security. 

Relations with European Union:

On 9 March, European Parliament presented a report critiquing “Turkey’s slow progress with regard to reforms”, “the ongoing confrontation between the political parties “, the under-developed "principle of separation of powers”, “the deterioration in freedom of the press”, “excessively long pre-trial detention periods” and “the lack of progress in...investigations” of the Erganekon case on alleged plans for a coup. 

The Turkish Foreign Ministry called the report “one-sided” and “unacceptable”:

As a negotiating candidate country, Turkey expects the EP, being the representative of the peoples of Europe and the voice of the EU public opinions, to be fair and objective and to demonstrate a serious attitude in line with its mandate.

We see that some issues are included in the Report by domestic political considerations of a limited number of MEPs representing certain Member States at the risk of disregarding the EU’s interests. It is not possible to set this approach on a wise and rational context given the historical background of Turkey-EU relations, the values, interests and goals that Turkey and the EU share as well as the level that our relations have reached today.