Amid an a series of foreign policy misteps, Prime Minister Recep Erdogan’s Islamist administration scored a win last March by inking a ceasefire agreement with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The PKK agreed to withdraw from Turkey to Iraqi Kurdistan, and in return Ankara promised to grant greater autonomy to its Kurdish minority.

The agreement promised to put an end to an insurgency in which over 40,000 people have been killed. Fears are growing, however, that the ceasefire may fray. The PKK has halted its withdrawal and is now accusing the Turkish government of bad faith:

The PKK statement accused Ankara of “an irresponsible attitude” towards the peace process “by giving no answer to the steps of the Kurdish liberation movement”. It also accused Turkey of building new military posts and dams in Kurdish areas, of failing to release PKK prisoners or scrap the anti-terrorism law and of not consulting Kurds about the democratisation plans. On the Kurdish language issue, it said it saw “no evidence” of any Turkish commitment to providing education in Kurdish children’s mother tongue.

The problems are severe enough that analysts are now talking about the potential collapse of the entire peace process.

Ankara has been increasingly vocal in criticizing regional moves toward Kurdish autonomy. Over the summer Turkish officials leaked that they considered Kurdish activity in northern Syria to be a “red line,” amid reports of PKK activity in the area:

Despite the Syrian Kurds’ continuous denial of their intention to set up a semi-autonomous or autonomous state, Ankara remains concerned about their presence in the border area. A Turkish foreign ministry official speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity said that Ankara has confirmed information that the Syrian Kurds are seeking to establish a state, and warned them against “secessionist ambitions.” He said that these ambitions will only serve to drag the region into further chaos.

[Photo: Newvideos79 / YouTube]