Talks between politicians from Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party and jailed Kurdish leaders are gaining momentum in an effort to end the 40-year conflict between the state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). This peace initiative is unfolding against a backdrop of regional instability and significant changes, including the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, the weakening of Hezbollah in Lebanon, and power shifts in Syria post the fall of President Bashar Assad.
The peace process, initiated by a nationalist figure who historically opposed Kurdish concessions, has seen recent developments with intensified fighting between Turkish-backed groups and Kurdish forces in northern Syria following Assad's downfall. The Syrian Democratic Forces, controlling northeast Syria, are under attack by the Syrian National Army, supported by Turkey, which views the SDF as an extension of the PKK.
