Turkey Seeks Historic Peace With Kurds in a Shifting Middle East
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees the upheaval in neighboring Syria as an opportunity to thwart Kurdish nationalism.
A man walks past a mural showing supporters of the Syrian Democratic Forces, and a flag depicting Abdullah Ocalan in Qamishli , Syria, on Dec. 16.
Photographer: Delil Souleiman/AFP/Getty ImagesOn a plane back to Turkey following his capture in 1999, Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan declared that he loved his country and “would serve it if required.” More than a quarter of a century later, that could now emerge as a call on his separatist group to lay down arms.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to revive peace talks with the Kurds alongside discussions with Washington over the future of US-backed Kurdish forces in neighboring Syria following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.