Title: The effect of #PKK# /#PJAK# on Turkish-Iranian relations (1979-2015)
Author: Ismail, Zhirwan Aula
Place of publication: Turkey
Publisher: Department:SAKARYA UNIVERSITY
MIDDLE EAST INSTITUTE
Release date: 2018

This thesis explains what impacts the terrorist group Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)/PJAK has had on Turkish-Iranian Relations. The duration of this thesis is 1979-2015, but with a brief of historical background showing the situation that brought the PKK into existence. The thesis consists of four main chapters. The first part of the first chapter is focusing on the historical background of political atmosphere in Turkey before the foundation of PKK. Another part of this chapter focuses on the break out of direct fire and the violence that PKK has brought to Turkey since 1984. We have explained here how Iran-PKK relations were, how Turkey was dealing with the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988), how the war affected the PKK violence in the region, and how generally Turkish-Iranian relations were going on through all these changes. Chapter two mostly focuses on the situation during the 1990s. That period was the spring of PKK-Iranian relations, so the Turkish-Iranian relations (in terms of security and border controlling) were at the worst level. The third chapter is focusing on the matter in 2000s, especially since the rule of Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Turkey, which brought the Turkish-Iranian relations into another stage. The regional changes, such as the American Invasion of Iraq in 2003, had escalated the PKK/PJAK violence on the borders and that made both Turkey and Iran reconsider their relations to deescalate violence on the borders. However, the recent changes in the region, such as relations between Turkey and the Kurds in Northern Iraq, the existence/withdrawal of American forces in the area, the Arab Spring, and the Syrian crises have directly affected the Turkish-Iranian cooperation for deescalating the PKK/PJAK violence on their borders. In the last chapter, we have given the Syrian Crisis as an example of these recent changes in the region. Here we have explained what exactly the PKK role in the Syrian crisis is, and to what extent the PKK figure in the Syrian crisis has affected the Turkish-Iranian relations.[1]