Today’s Zaman quotes Vice President and Rafik Hariri Center Director Francis J. Ricciardone in an article on why it is important for Turkey to distinguish between the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish militias, who have been among the most enthusiastic and dedicated fighters against ISIS:
On Tuesday in a call with reporters, Ricciardone highlighted what he called the “evolution of Turkish national security thinking” with respect to the Kurds. He described Turkish army strikes on Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) targets as “not a new thing,” which could also easily rally international support.
“Turkey has not taken the same outlook toward the PYD (Democratic Union Party) in Syria as the United States and other Western allies have,” Ricciardone noted, adding that the PYD has explicitly said it has no quarrel with the Turkish state, and long ago took on ISIS and therefore aligned its interests with those of the Western coalition.
“It sounds to me as if the Turks have now come to make that same distinction,” the former Ambassador, who is now Vice President of the Washington-based Atlantic Council.