How Fatal Would Russia’s Alliance With Kurds Be for Turkey?

In recent years, Ankara has spoiled relations with many countries and the conflict with Moscow will only aggravate the situation. If Russia supports the Kurds, Ankara will become completely entangled in the conflicts both on domestic and international levels, German newspaper Der Tagesspiegel wrote.

According to the newspaper, Russia’s potential alliance with the Kurds would have fatal consequences for Turkey.

It would be an “absolute nightmare” for Erdogan who will have to wage war on two fronts – domestically and internationally.

The Turkish President is isolating himself from other countries and rapidly losing friends on the international arena. “Zero problems with neighbors" was the political maxim of Ahmet Davutoglu, when he took the post of the Turkish Foreign Minister in 2009.

Six years later it became clear that Turkey's relations with its neighbors are almost entirely characterized by problems and disputes. In recent years, Ankara has spoiled its relations even with former allies like Israel and Egypt and has lost its influence in the Middle East and North Africa, surrounding itself with opponents, the article said.

Nevertheless, the Syrian Kurds remain one of the most explosive factors in the Middle Eastern region. They have close ties with the outlawed Turkey’s Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which Ankara perceives as an even greater threat than Daesh.

For several weeks, government forces have been fighting against the Kurds in southeastern regions of the country. The military offensive has claimed the lives of more than 100 people.

According to the newspaper, the Kurdish issue is becoming even more complicated for Ankara taking into account its conflict with Russia. If Moscow decides to support the Kurdish forces, Turkey's domestic political problems will come to a new level and submerge the country into full chaos, the article said.