THE KURDISH ISSUE IN TURKISH-SYRIAN RELATIONS

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to confirm the hypothesis that The Kurds continue to be a key factor in the development of Turkish-Syrian relationship, being used as an instrument of pressure or provocation against the other party. This hypothesis was formulated in a lot of other paper works and reports on the Kurdish issue in relations between Ankara and Damascus, especially for Syria who considered the Kurds an effective weapon against the political will of Turkey in solving the problems that became stringent issues in the matter of bilateral relations in the 90’s. The project is a good opportunity to analyze Syrian-Turkish relations and the Kurdish issue from a historical perspective, to reach an objective understanding of the processes that are run now across the two countries in the context of the Syrian civil war. The importance of the Kurdish factor in the balance of powers in the region cannot be denied, as it has been confirmed both by consulting articles and specialized paper works, and by analyzing daily the Turkish and Syrian international press. The results of this analysis allow us designing an important information support to forecast new processes that will affect Syrian-Turkish relations.