On a TRT-World interview last week, Assistant Professor in International Affairs Enes Bayraklı answered questions varying from the opening of the U.S. İncirlik base in southern Turkey, to a possible safe zone in the border region, and Turkey’s peace process.
Bayraklı, also a researcher at SETA, underlined that the safe zone will be used for the Syrian refugees. Contrary to the speculations, he said, “It is not a pretext to clear out the region from the YPG Kurdish fighters.”
THE HDP MISREAD THE STUATION
As for the peace process, the pro-Kurdish People’s Democratic Party (HDP) misread the situation, according to Bayraklı. Receiving 13 percent of the votes in the June 7 elections, the HDP has misinterpreted this support as a clear approval of their policies. Afterwards, there started a hate campaign against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, resulting in the escalation of the tension including here also the breach of the peace process.
