The Kurdish issue: main obstacle for Turkey’s EU integration

Abstract

The purpose of undertaking this study lies in the necessity of finding out the current developments of the Kurdish issue in Turkey and how it is disturbing Turkey for the EU integrations. This essay is an attempt to describe and analyze the Kurdish issue in Turkey. It considers the origins of the Kurdish issue, the activity of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Turkey’s and EU’s positions regarding the issue and the ways they foresee for the salvation of the problem. The paper examines the role of the Kurdish factor in the relationship of Turkey with the EU. It also tries to see the differences or similarities in the positions of both Turkey and EU regarding the Kurdish issue. Both Turkish and EU’s standpoints on the issue and independent sources are presented in order to have more complete understanding of the positions of Turkey and EU.