Erdogan’s Assad Problem

On Wednesday [July 24] Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan led a critical meeting of Necdet Ozel, chief of the General Staff; Besir Atalay, deputy prime minister; Sadullah Ergin, minister of justice; Ahmet Davutoglu, minister of foreign affairs; Muammer Guler, minister of interior; Ismet Yilmaz, minister of defense; Efkan Ala, counselor at the prime ministry; and Hakan Fidan, head of Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) to discuss the latest developments regarding the Kurdish movements at the Turkey-Syria border. Turkish media speculated that they also discussed enforcing a no-fly zone at that segment of the 951-km [591-mile] border line with Syria where Kurds are in the majority.

Since last week, as it became clear that the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) has taken full control of tracts of land adjacent to the Turkish border, Ankara started to warn Kurds against any de facto declaration of autonomy but refrained from tying it to the solution process with the Kurds in Turkey. “We won’t allow the developments outside our borders to impact the resolution process negatively,” Davutoglu said. “Turkey has to take certain measures for the security of its borders, but these measures are not directed against any particular group.”