Strategic Council Online – Interview: A West Asia affairs analyst stated: The presence of Turkish forces in over 60 military positions in northern Iraq and repeated attacks on mountainous areas indicate Ankara’s long-term plan to expand its geopolitical influence in West Asia.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A researcher in the field of strategy and geopolitical affairs considered the PKK disarmament to be due to their feeling of weakness after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government and the rise of Turkey, as well as the increase in international pressure with the coming to power of Donald Trump, and said: At the current stage, both the PKK and the Turkish government welcome this agreement, but it is unlikely that this agreement will last long.
Strategic Council Online – Guest Opinion: The increase in civilian casualties and ordinary citizens in the northern and eastern regions of Syria, following the continuation and intensification of air and artillery attacks by the Turkish army and its affiliated militias, namely the Syrian National Army (SNA), has led to growing concerns about the future course of developments in Syria.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on regional issues said that the issue of PKK is not one-dimensional that a security agreement between Turkey and Iraq can solve it. This is a security-political issue, and countries other than Turkey and Iraq play a role. In addition, it is unlikely that the two countries will carry out a joint operation against the PKK because Turkey wants this operation to take place in Arab areas such as Sinjar, where Iraq has great protection over these areas and does not allow Turkey to play a role in these areas.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of Iraq affairs, saying that many groups and political parties and decision-makers in Iraq’s foreign policy believe that military cooperation with NATO should be expanded, noted: Joint military cooperation of Western countries, such as France, Britain and the US with some regional players such as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq and some countries of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council are increasing and joint naval and air exercises in the Red Sea and other places have become more prominent. NATO follows a model in which expansion of its presence in the West Asian region is one of its components, which will entail its own risks.