Will SCO include PKK/YPG on list of terrorist organizations?

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) state leaders summit held in Uzbek city of Samarkand concluded. The “Samarkand Memorandum” was declared upon signature of full member countries at the end of the summit. The bilateral meetings and security decisions taken at the summit attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as well stood out. The SCO and other countries were disturbed about the West, the EU, and NATO surrounding Asian countries within their expansion strategy. The SCO, with Türkiye included among its dialogue partner countries, took important decisions in the Samarkand memorandum, in order to ensure its security against these moves. The memorandum further confirms that the SCO is not against other states and international institutions, and that it is open to cooperation with the whole world based on mutual interests. The importance of improving cooperation in the defense and security fields, the intention to form a single list of terrorist and fundamentalist organizations, as well as conducting joint anti-terrorism military drills by the organization under the “Peace Mission” title was also underlined.  

 Expert analysts in the field stated that U.S. sovereignty or U.S. hegemonic power has two important legs. The first leg is the fact that the U.S. has 800 military bases – in other words, armed forces – worldwide. The second leg is that despite the “dollar” being fiat currency, it is considered to have reserve currency power. Some of the SCO-member countries are known to be trading with local currencies instead of the dollar, like the trade between Russia and China. Russia’s decision to use local and national currencies instead of the dollar in its “natural gas sales” to Türkiye is also important – because the SCO’s two hegemonic countries, Russia and China’s policy and strategies to turn their local currencies, the ruble and yuan, into the principal currencies in the international domain, starting from Asia, is a red line for the U.S. and EU. Analysts are specifically stating that this may mean a collapse for Western hegemony. 

TÜRKİYE NEEDS TO BE DISTURBED BY THE SO-CALLED ISLAMIC TERRORISM ORGANIZATIONS BACKED OR USED BY US IN ORDER FOR YPG/PKK’S INCLUSION ON SCO’S TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS LIST 

One other critical decision in the Samarkand memorandum is the formation of a common SCO terrorist organization list. Experts on the topic claim that “Considering the terrorist organizations about which these countries are concerned, they are the terrorist organizations supported by the U.S.,” in reference to Russia and China’s disturbance of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, and the Pashtun groups that left Pakistan and are used by the U.S. It is stated that if Türkiye is felt to be in this system, the YPG/PKK may be added to the SCO’s terrorist organizations list. However, in the event it is not included in this system, “If Türkiye’s support especially in Idlib continues – and they see this as support to the U.S. – then they will abstain from this.” 

WE WILL STRENGTHEN COOPERATION IN SECURITY 

President Erdogan, who underscored that terrorism knows no limits in the global level, and that it adversely affects all states, said, “Türkiye has lost tens of thousands of its citizens to terrorist organizations. It is a country that knows and recognizes very well the bloody face of terrorism. Though we have been mostly left to fight alone against separatist terrorism for almost four decades, we are continuing with determination our fight against every form and manifestation of terrorism, including the PKK, PYD, YPG, FETO, and Daesh. We are ready to further strengthen our dialogue with the SCO in matters concerning our mutual security.” 

PRESENT MORE IMPORTANT THAN PAST FOR TÜRKİYE, WHICH IS IDENTIFIED WITH SCO AGAINST US THREATS 

The SCO, which has become a cooperation organization in fields ranging from security to economic and trade relations, from transportation to culture, is realizing multipolarity against the Atlantic system’s imperialist hegemonism. As clearly highlighted in its founding documents, the organization aims to improve cooperation in various fields, including the economy, to ensure peace, security, and stability in the region, while striving to establish a just international political and economic order, on the condition of mutual benefit, and not interfering in one another’s domestic affairs. It is possible to say within this context that besides the China-led Belt and Road initiative, the SCO is identified with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union as well. 

This SCO summit, with leaders gathered in a new international atmosphere after Russia’s intervention on Ukraine, is of great importance. The U.S. is trying to implement an isolation policy against Russia and China, the SCO’s two primary pillars. Meanwhile, Russia and China are joining powers, establishing comprehensive partnerships in Eurasia, Africa and Latin America through cooperations such as the SCO, BRICS, and the Road and Belt initiative to negate U.S. aggression. Hence, it is more important for our country today than the past to identify with the SCO against U.S. threats, which is following both a military and economic siege policy against Türkiye. 

PRESIDENT ERDOGAN: WE ARE BOTH EUROPEAN AND ASIAN 

The SCO and NATO are not substitutes for one another. The SCO cannot possibly provide Türkiye a security umbrella like NATO. Therefore, Türkiye can establish close relations with the SCO, including the Turkic Republics with which we have close geographical, cultural, and historical ties, without detriment to its NATO obligations. Being an SCO member technically has no detriment to NATO membership.