Alexandr Svaranc

Turkey considers the Kurdish issue among the priority threats to its national security. In this regard, the formation of a Kurdish autonomy in the territory of south-east Turkey is perceived by Ankara as an existential threat to internal security, as well as the possibility of such autonomies (and especially an independent Kurdistan) in the territory of neighboring countries (in particular, in Syria, Iraq and Iran) threatens to the Turkey’s external security. Actually, it is also not clear where tens of millions of Kurds should move to from the territories they have inhabited for many centuries…

In the military conflict in Gaza, where the number of casualties among Palestinians (almost 23,000 deaths) is growing due to extreme attacks of the Israeli Army, new bloody operations and new losses cease to be a surprise. The IDF is fighting not only against HAMAS, which is considered a terrorist organization in Israel. Israel denotes Iran its main military enemy, because it is Tehran that indirectly creates additional military threat for Israelis and their allies through its Shiite proxy forces, such as Lebanese Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis, Syrian and Iraqi militias…

The Kurdish issue remains a key threat to Turkey’s internal and external security. The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), banned and recognised as a terrorist organisation in Turkey, somehow continues its actions against Turkish forces in northern Syria and Iraq, which is used by Ankara to conduct local military operations in neighbouring countries to suppress the resistance of Kurdish forces and destroy their military facilities. As it became known from mass media, on 22 and 23 December this year, 12 Turkish servicemen were killed as a result of attacks of PKK militants on a Turkish…