The 1001 US-PKK scandals in Munich... Ankara's profound silence...

Reza Pahlavi, who wants to return to lead Iran with US support, was invited to the 62nd Munich Security Conference, which began last Friday and ended on Sunday, while no one from Iran was called. Consequently, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi referred to it as a “Munich circus.”

The conference, which Iran called a “circus,” was not much different for Turkey; yet, not a peep came from Ankara. Let us explain in order.

On the first day of the conference, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with a delegation led by Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam al-Sabbagh. The delegation also included Mazloum Abdi, the head of the YPG/SDF, and his deputy Ilham Ahmed, both of whom are sought by Turkey with red notices.

Our government's media presented this meeting as a “new beginning for Syria” and claimed that Mazloum Abdi had abandoned his demands for autonomy.

Trump's colonial governor Tom Barrack also commented, “A picture is worth a thousand words - a new beginning.”

However, for Turkey, it was a picture worth 1001 scandals, and the continuation went as follows:

Our red-notice duo, Abdi and Ahmed, first met with a high-level congressional delegation led by US Senator Lindsey Graham, a patron of the YPG/SDF, and then with another senate delegation led by Senator Jeanne Shaheen.

During the meeting with Graham, the importance of the “Kurdish protection act” initiative was discussed... Our red-notice figures also described the US senators as their “primary partners in the struggle for freedom and justice”...

Was Shaheen “FETÖ-linked” or What?!

Syrian Foreign Minister Bassam al-Sabbagh was also present at the meeting between our red-notice figures and the delegation led by senior Senator Shaheen.

Senator Shaheen, whom the pro-government media claimed had “close ties to the FETÖ structure in the US” because she worked for the release of Pastor Brunson and “prepared the bill blocking arms sales to Turkey, including F-35s,” was received by Erdoğan at the AKP Headquarters alongside Lindsey Graham after the June 24, 2018 elections. In the statement made after her meeting with al-Sabbagh and Abdi, the title “General, Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces” was used for Abdi.

The film of our red-notice figures being “internationalized” in Munich continued with the following scenes:

They met with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Dr. Barham Salih and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul... When they came together with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, they thanked Riyadh for its support for the resolution process... They embraced Macron. Macron promised the terrorist leader that he would “meet with al-Sabbagh to ensure he remains committed to the agreement.”

First the MIT Chief, Then the Terrorists

One of the most important meetings of our red-notice figures was with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. Its importance lay in the fact that Hussein had received MIT Chief İbrahim Kalın, who had gone to the conference before them. Following this reception, the statement regarding Hussein's meeting with the SDF members referred to Mazloum Abdi as “SDF commander and honorable.”

Since it is a routine matter, we will skip the meeting with Nechirvan Barzani and only underline some of Barzani's words.

“He emphasized that they want the ENKS and other Kurdish groups affiliated with them to participate in the political dialogue conducted between Damascus and the SDF... By stating that the PKK must 'fulfill the demands and calls of Mr. Öcalan,' he revealed that he views the PKK and the SDF separately... While advocating that the issue of autonomy in Syria be 'left to Damascus and the Rojava administration,' he said regarding the Governor of Hasakah, appointed by the SDF: 'If he can serve Kurds, Arabs, and all components, then the people will defend their own administration.'”

Messages from Abdi to Ankara

Let us come to the very confident statements of Mazloum Abdi, who was brought to the international podium in Munich.

After the meeting with US Secretary of State Rubio, when he stated that their goal was for “Kurdish regions to govern themselves and to organize on the basis of self-administration,” Syrian Foreign Minister al-Sabbagh said that “the SDF delegation did not make a demand for autonomy.”

Mazloum Abdi, in response to al-Sabbagh, said: “The Syrian state has problems with titles and concepts. However, we want a local Kurdish administration/governance. Whatever its name may be; what is important is that it is Kurdish and preserves the regional style of administration. We want a structure where everyone feels safe, where Kurdish characteristics and culture are protected, where there is no attack on Kurdishness, and where Kurds govern their own regions themselves.”

Abdi also made other assessments. For example, he explained that they “observed a positive change, albeit limited, in Ankara's attitude towards the SDF,” that they “hope for more progress in terms of cooperation and a positive approach,” that they “have not posed a threat to Turkey since the March 10 agreement,” that they “are negotiating their claims over Syrian territory with the Damascus administration,” and that “Öcalan played a positive role in the recent agreements between Syria and the SDF,” emphasizing that they “will benefit from the Iraqi Kurdistan model for the regions in Syria.” Regarding the integration of the SDF into the Ministry of Defense, he spoke as follows:

“It was decided not to dissolve the SDF, but to integrate it into the Syrian Ministry of Defense.”

Rubio's Confession: It Was a “Buying Time” Agreement

While Ankara viewed the latest agreement between Damascus and the SDF as “the Syrian PKK is finished,” sent the Imralı delegation to the terrorist leader again, and prepared to present the parliamentary PKK commission report while accelerating the process; US Secretary of State Rubio confessed in Munich how and why that agreement was made.

Stating that when the situation in northeastern Syria became tense, Trump intervened “to protect the Kurds and for the transfer of ISIS members” and met with al-Sabbagh twice, Rubio emphasized that another primary goal of Trump in these meetings was “to buy time for the inclusion of Kurds in the new system in Syria,” and said, “Trump told al-Sabbagh to stop the clashes so that we could work on the integration of Kurds into the Syrian national forces. al-Sabbagh has kept his word so far and stopped the war. However, he needs to continue in this direction.”

Rubio also noted that the implementation of the integration agreement reached between the Damascus administration and the SDF would not be easy.

Transition to the Charter of Local Self-Government in Syria

While these events were taking place in Munich, by a great coincidence, such a development occurred in Syria:

With a decision published in the Official Gazette, some administrative and financial powers of the Minister of Local Administration and Environment were transferred to the governors.

Let us suffice by stating that the transferred powers are similar to the European Charter of Local Self-Government, which the terrorist leader-PKK-DEM wants to be implemented without reservations, without listing the transferred powers one by one.

Were Our Administrators Asleep?

If you ask, “Were our administrators asleep?” while the terrorist organization was showing off in Munich; we pointed out the following in our article titled “This is how America sold out the PKK!..” which we wrote after the Rubio-Abdi meeting:

“So, who was the only speaker from Turkey? It was Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek. It was like a joke, because he was supposed to speak at yesterday's panel titled 'The Future of Post-Revolution Syria,' which Syrian Foreign Minister al-Sabbagh would also attend. This was the program published on the first day of the conference. Our media also announced that Şimşek would speak. In addition, it was stated that besides Şimşek, Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly National Defense Commission Hulusi Akar and Presidential Chief Advisor for Foreign Policy and Security Akif Çağatay Kılıç also went to Munich. But whatever happened, the part of the program related to that panel was updated yesterday. According to this program, Şimşek was out, and Deputy Foreign Minister Zeki Levent Gümrükçü was in. When the panel started in the evening, what do we see; Gümrükçü was also not there, and the moderator did not even explain why this program change related to Turkey occurred or why no name participated. Did they decide to react only after the Mazloum Abdi business was a done deal – or what really happened?!”

While only Cumhuriyet from our media brought this oddity to the agenda yesterday, it was stated that Foreign Ministry sources provided the information: “Gümrükçü spoke at other sessions not related to Syria... No invitation was sent to Gümrükçü for the Syria panel; his name was written in the program by mistake.”

First, let us clarify the situation regarding Deputy Foreign Minister Gümrükçü. First; if his name was written in the program by mistake, shouldn't it have been requested to be removed immediately? Yet, as of yesterday, his name was still visible in the program. Second; it was said that “he spoke at other sessions,” but we did not encounter Gümrükçü's name even in the side sessions, let alone the other main sessions.

Let us also convey the situation of our other officials who went to Munich.

Since it is by invitation, it was understood that neither Foreign Minister Fidan nor Defense Minister Yaşar Güler were invited this year. Whether Mehmet Şimşek, who was invited, went or not, and if he did, what he did, remains unknown.

MIT Chief İbrahim Kalın did not speak at any session. It was reported that he held bilateral meetings here. We only know that he was received by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.

As for Ambassador Akif Çağatay Kılıç, the Presidential Chief Advisor for Foreign Policy and Security, who was announced to have participated in the conference, managed intense diplomatic traffic, and spoke at the session titled Gaza held under the auspices of the “Doha Forum”; let us state that the mentioned Doha Forum and the session he organized were not main conferences, but activities within the scope of side events.

What about Chairman of the Turkish Grand National Assembly National Defense Commission Hulusi Akar? He explained “UAVs, SİHAs, Islamophobia, hybrid wars, and the Blue Homeland” to the representatives of Turkish non-governmental organizations and young people he met at the program organized by the European Kayseri Businessmen Association at the Munich Mehmet Akif Mosque Conference Hall.

They Did Not Speak Up Because

Now for the big reveal in Munich's bag...

In our article titled “This is how America sold out the PKK!..” we also asked the following:

- “In the program announced by the US Department of State; it was reported that Rubio would meet with Syrian Foreign Minister al-Sabbagh, and no other name was included. Since al-Sabbagh could not make such a fait accompli on his own; the US must have wanted Mazloum Abdi to be in the delegation. In what capacity did Abdi take part in the delegation?”

- “What we know is that Trump delegated the conduct of bilateral relations to Rubio, and Erdoğan to Hakan Fidan. In other words, the two ministers are on excellent terms. In this case, Rubio must have informed Fidan that he would also meet with Mazloum Abdi. What answer was given? Or was it not reported at all?!”

We received the answers to these questions from the red-notice figures themselves.

While Mazloum Abdi, the head of the Syrian PKK, announced that they went to Germany upon the invitation of the Munich Security Conference management, his deputy Ilham Ahmed explained how the meeting with the US and Syrian Foreign Ministers was organized as follows:

“Both sides had been invited. US officials expressed the view that we should attend this meeting together. We evaluated it among ourselves and said it would be more appropriate to do it together... We held the meeting that way.”

Even some writers in the pro-government media are reacting to this scandal in Munich, at least towards Germany or Macron, so it is understood why Ankara could not even make a sound, isn't it?!

Müyesser YILDIZ

February 17, 2026