Turkey between War and Peace | Atilla Yesilada video

The video, “Turkey between War and Peace” by Atilla Yesilada of the REAL TURKEY channel, provides an analysis of Turkey’s current geopolitical fault lines, focusing on two primary areas: the Aegean and the Kurdish conflict.

Yesilada first addresses the escalating tensions between Turkey and Greece/Cyprus [00:32]. He highlights Greece’s controversial decision to equip Aegean islands, some of which are disputed, with hundreds of missile systems [03:59]. This move, coupled with Turkey’s own rapid rearmament—including the domestic Khan jet fighter and new drone carriers—is changing the traditional military balance and increasing the risk of an accidental conflict [01:36]. Yesilada argues that this dispute endangers a potential beneficial alignment with the EU, which seeks Turkey’s defense production capabilities and strategic position against Russia [07:09].

The second key area is the Kurdish peace process and Syria [10:56]. The peace initiative with Turkish Kurds is stalled due to non-negotiable preconditions set by the PKK leadership, such as the demand for Abdullah Öcalan to be the chief negotiator [14:22]. This domestic issue is compounded by the situation in Syria, where Syrian Kurdish groups are reportedly being provoked by Israel—which seeks a weak, unstable Syria—to abandon cooperation with the central government [16:57]. The host concludes with cautious optimism, noting that US efforts are reportedly focusing on stabilizing Syria and negotiating a comprehensive solution for Cyprus, which could ease hostility between NATO allies Turkey and Greece [19:45].