Turkey’s Peace Process with the PKK Faltering
Turkey’s Peace Process with the PKK Faltering

Author(s): Pinar Elman
Subject(s): Governance, Government/Political systems, International relations/trade, Security and defense, Geopolitics, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: PISM Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych
Keywords: Turkey; Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK); Turkey-PKK peace negotiations; threat of ISIS on the Turkish border; fight against ISIS; territorial integrity of the region;
Summary/Abstract: The peace negotiations between Turkey and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) will enter a critical moment prior to Turkey’s general elections on 7 June 2015. Despite a mutual commitment to a political solution, the peace process is at risk of failure because it is vulnerable to several factors, including potential rifts within the PKK leadership, the threat of ISIS on the Turkish border and the upcoming elections, which the government wants to go ahead undisturbed. While cooperating in the fight against ISIS, the EU and the U.S. should support the peace process while also emphasising to Kurdish forces their commitment to the territorial integrity of the region.

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