The following is from an interview with Mr. Umut Acar, the Counsul General of the Republic\u00a0 of Turkey.<\/p>\n
To the question of who are the Kurds, Acar answered, \u201cI see that a lot of confusion, the American society, the media\u2026\u2026.sometimes people don\u2019t really know what they are talking about when they refer to a group of people called the Kurds.\u201d He went on to explain that there is no one people called the Kurds. The Kurds are scattered throughout the Middle East especially in four countries, Turkey, Syria, Iraq and Iran. \u201cIn general, of course, they are a good, productive, very well integrated people. The Kurds living in Turkey are very well integrated Turkish citizens with Kurdish origin. We are very happy with them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Acar explained that Turkey does not keep statistics on ethnicity. He estimated there are 15 or 20 million \u201cpeople with Kurdish origin living in Turkey.\u201d Most Kurds live in the southeast part of Turkey, but many live in Istanbul.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday in Turkey we have more than 120 (out of a total of 550 seats) members of parliament with Kurdish origin. So, in general, if I put it in this way, we have a large people with Kurdish origin in Turkey, they are very well integrated people. I don\u2019t really believe that it is easy to identify people today in today\u2019s Turkey as Kurdish, Turkish, because the communities are so intertwined, mixed marriages. I\u2019m sure that in every family you can find some people with Kurdish origin, Turkish origin and with other ethnicities. \u201d He explained that the Turkish constitution does not refer to any ethnicity; all citizens of Turkey are Turks. Acar compared this to America where all ethnicities are American.<\/p>\n
He explained, \u201cIn the past, 50\u2019s, 60\u2019s, 70\u2019s the people with Kurdish origin, Kurdish heritage, were deprived of certain rights. This is a reality. Speaking their language, enjoying their cultural rights, living their way of life, they were not 100% free. But in recent years the reforms that the government instituted, now they have all the freedoms that a minority group can have in Turkey.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked about recent statements by Turkish government representatives saying they will never allow a Kurdish state in Syria, Acar began his answer by explaining that in Turkey aside from the Kurds who live peacefully, there is also a terrorist organization called PPK (The Kurdistan Workers Party). The PPK has \u201cbeen creating violence for more than 30, 40 years. In the northern part of Syria there is also a group called PYD (The Democratic Union Party) and YPG (The Peoples Protection Units, the military of the PYD).\u201d He explained the two groups are part of the PKK. His basic premise is the three are all one group \u201creceiving orders from the same headquarters.\u201d Turkey believes the Kurds are \u201cusing the current chaotic situation in Syria to gain ground for their own purposes.\u201d He went on to say the YPG is pretending to fight against the Islamic State. \u201cTheir ultimate goal is not something doing good for the future of Syria. Their ultimate goal is just to gain ground in the northern part of Turkey or wherever they are. \u00a0Turkey does not want to see a terrorist group form a state in Syria.\u201d They feel it would be a threat to their country. Acar further stated that Turkey is also defending the territorial integrity of Syria.<\/p>\n![\"IS](\"http:\/\/blogs.cuchicago.edu\/spectator\/files\/2016\/06\/IS-control-300x158.png\")
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<\/a> wonderful relations with these people, trade, economic relations, social relations.\u201d<\/p>\n