Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 9
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
The recent clashes that led to the deaths of 22 people in Turkey are more serious than the events that took place in 2013 on Istanbul's Taksim Square.
The events on the Taksim Square were directed against the government of the former prime minister and current president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
What is happening today in Turkey, can lead to consequences that are more serious for their scope and results, at least because, the ethnic and religious factors are standing at the foundation of clashes taking place in six south-eastern provinces of Turkey, including in big cities.
Therefore Turkey, being forced to take very serious steps, deployed army in many provinces along with the police and gendarmerie, to control the situation.
There is some talk that the clashes occurred due to the fact that after adoption of the parliament's mandate on Oct. 2, which authorizes military operations in Iraq and Syria, Turkey didn't protect the Kurds living in the Syrian town of Kobani from the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organization.
But this is only the tip of the iceberg.
One of the interesting things is the fact that the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) was among those opposing the mentioned mandate's adoption.
The HDP leadership said Oct. 8 in a written statement that the process of democratic solution to the Kurdish problem will be suspended.
It should be noted that the process, launched in 2009, was authored by Erdogan.
The statement also said it is necessary to separate the protection of the Kurds in Kobani from the process of truce with the Kurds in Turkey.
On the other hand, it is not the police and protesters who clash in Turkey. It is the supporters of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and members of the Free Cause Party (Huda-Par), an Islamist party consisting mainly of Kurds.
It is undeniable that Huda-Par, established in 1983, includes an Islamist organization known as Hizbullah Al Kurdi, which functioned clandestinely for four years. Turkish army and intelligence cooperated with Hezbollah al-Kurdi against the PKK terrorist organization starting from 1990.
It was also reported that the clashes between members of the Hezbollah Al Kurdi and the PKK killed over 1,000 people.
Getting out of control after assassination of its leader, the Hezbollah Al Kurdi ceased its overt activity in 2000, and began functioning within various circles, and the Huda-Par was established in 2012.
Thus, the clashes occurring today in Turkey can be regarded as a continuation of clashes between the PKK and Hezbollah Al Kurdi, represented by the Huda-Par.
The protests in Turkey are being held under the pretext of supporting the Syrian town of Kobani. The town indeed has a strategic importance for the IS, as well as the Kurds and Turkey.
The Syrian Kurds are aware that if Kobani falls under control of the IS, there will be "a domino effect" in other Kurdish cities.
Kobani's strategic significance for the IS lies in the fact that it is located between the cities of Jarabulus and Raqqa, which are also controlled by the terrorist organization.
And thus, Kobani's inclusion into the so-called "caliphate" means that the IS will gain control over the region.
If Kobani falls under control of the IS, Turkey will lose the Mursitpinar border checkpoint on the Turkish-Syrian border. The IS now has full control over the Akcakale-Tel Abyad, Gaziantep-Karkamis and Kilis Cobanbey-El Rai border checkpoints.
Closely following the developments one can say that the "old actors" in Turkey, i.e. the PKK has today gained new roles.
Unlike the PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, who is under arrest, the leadership of PKK in the Kandil (territory of Iraq) said it did not believe in the peace process with the Kurds initiated by Ankara.
The PKK leadership even made an appeal saying that the process of truce with Turkey has ended for it.
That is why for the PKK, Kobani is actually a "holy grail".
The PKK, which is always used to impose pressure on Turkey, is again playing its role.
Its purpose is to leave the process of reconciliation with the Kurds unfinished, as well as to resume military situation in Turkey.
Rufiz Hafizoglu, head of the Trend Arab Service