Century After Lausanne... Dialogue and negotiations reshape Kurdish Issue

On this day in July 1923, the Treaty of Lausanne was signed, cementing the division of Kurdistan among four states after overturning the provisions of the Treaty of Sèvres on Kurdish autonomy. It consolidated the borders drawn in the aftermath of World War I, reshaping the political map of the Middle East and becoming one of the most influential agreements in the region's modern history.

For the Kurdish people, the treaty marked a turning point, ending the hopes raised by the Treaty of Sèvres and formalizing the division of Kurdistan among Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Iran.

Now, 103 years after its signing, the Treaty of Lausanne has returned to the center of political debate—not merely as a historical document, but as a reference point for understanding the transformations taking place in the Kurdish issue across the four parts of Kurdistan amid rapidly evolving regional dynamics.

Over the past decades, the legacy of Lausanne has remained evident in the policies adopted by the four states toward the Kurds. Their approaches have ranged from denial and conflict to limited political settlements. In recent years, however, new developments have revived long-standing questions in a new context regarding the future of Kurdish political and cultural rights and the prospects for achieving lasting solutions within the borders of the existing states.

Syria: From the March 10 Agreement to the January 29 Agreement – Is the Kurdish Issue Entering a New Phase?

In Syria, particularly in the Kurdish regions of Rojava, the Kurdish issue is no longer discussed solely through the lens of military confrontation. It has increasingly become part of a broader political process addressing the future of the Syrian state and the structure of its political system—a shift observers describe as unprecedented since the establishment of the modern Syrian state.

This transformation began with the March 10, 2025 agreement between Syria's interim government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). For the first time, the agreement established a political framework governing relations between the two sides. It emphasized preserving Syria's territorial integrity, launching dialogue on the future of North and East Syria, integrating military and civilian institutions, and ensuring the participation of all Syrians in the political process.

Although implementation of the agreement faced political and security challenges in the following months, it remained the main reference point for dialogue between the two sides. On January 29, 2026, a new agreement was announced that introduced more detailed implementation mechanisms, moving the process from broad principles to practical execution. The new agreement addresses Kurdish-related issues more extensively than the March 10 agreement.

The January 29 agreement led to the formation of joint committees to oversee implementation and initiated coordination between the interim government and the Autonomous Administration on a number of political, administrative, and security issues. The following period also saw forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior deploy to the centers of Hasakah and Qamishlo, the reactivation of some state institutions, and continued dialogue over the future of the SDF, mechanisms for integrating civilian and military institutions, and the future structure of local governance in North and East Syria.

At the same time, the Autonomous Administration and the SDF continued to stress, in statements previously carried by ANHA agency, that the success of both agreements should not be measured solely by security measures, but by progress on political issues—particularly constitutional recognition of the rights of the Kurds and all other components of North and East Syria, as well as the adoption of a democratic decentralized system that guarantees equal participation in governing the country.

Despite ongoing disagreements over certain issues and implementation mechanisms, the process launched in March 2025 and advanced through the January 29, 2026 agreement represents, according to observers, the first official and sustained negotiations between Syria's central authorities and Kurdish representatives directly addressing governance, constitutional rights, and political partnership.

Turkey: 'Call for Peace and a Democratic Society' Brings the Kurdish Issue Back to the Political Agenda

In Turkey, the Kurdish issue in North Kurdistan is undergoing what is widely seen as its most significant political shift since the collapse of the peace process in 2015. The change follows Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan's "Call for Peace and a Democratic Society," which has opened the door to renewed discussions on ending a conflict that has lasted for more than four decades and shifting the Kurdish issue from the battlefield to the political and legal arena.

The initiative did not remain confined to political statements. It was followed by the Kurdistan Workers' Party's (PKK) announcement that it had dissolved its organizational structure and begun steps related to ending its armed struggle, moving the debate in Turkey into a new phase focused on establishing a legal framework for the peace process and addressing the Kurdish issue through political means.

In this context, the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) has intensified meetings with political parties, particularly the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), to discuss drafting legislation governing the "Peace and Democratic Society" process. Repeated calls have also been made for laws covering reintegration, political rights, public freedoms, and guarantees to ensure the continuation of the political process under a clear legal framework.

The latest development came on July 21, when leader Abdullah Ocalan called for advancing the process by providing legal and political guarantees, stressing that achieving a lasting solution to the Kurdish issue requires a transition from security measures to democratic and institutional reforms.

Meanwhile, consultations continue in the Turkish parliament over a draft legal framework for the process, with its success largely depending on the Turkish state's ability to translate political understandings into concrete constitutional and legislative reforms.

Kurdish politicians, particularly the DEM Party, view the developments following the "Call for Peace and a Democratic Society" as the first serious attempt in years to redefine the Kurdish issue as one of rights, citizenship, and democracy, rather than merely a security matter.

Southern Kurdistan: Constitutional Gains Face Political and Economic Challenges

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq (Southern Kurdistan) remains the most advanced Kurdish experience in constitutional terms. Iraq's 2005 Constitution recognized the region as a federal entity with broad legislative, executive, and judicial powers, granted Kurdish official language status alongside Arabic, and recognized the Peshmerga as part of the region's security structure.

Despite these constitutional gains, disputes between Hawler and Baghdad have persisted. This year has seen continued disagreements over key issues, including public sector salaries, oil export mechanisms, and the Kurdistan Region's share of the federal budget—issues that ANHA agency continues to monitor.

The oil dispute has also returned to the forefront, as exports from the Kurdistan Region through Turkey's Ceyhan port remain suspended. The halt has increased financial pressure on the Kurdistan Regional Government's ability to generate revenue and pay salaries. Baghdad insists that oil should be handed over to Iraq's State Organization for Marketing of Oil (SOMO) in accordance with federal law, while the Kurdistan Regional Government maintains that any agreement must safeguard the rights of both sides and preserve the region's constitutional powers.

Politically, negotiations are ongoing among Southern Kurdistan's parties to form a new regional government following the parliamentary elections, with differences continuing between the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) over the distribution of key positions and the management of the next phase.

At the same time, security issues continue to affect relations between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government, including ongoing Turkish military operations inside the region aimed at the PKK, as well as continuing disputes over the administration of disputed territories, particularly Kirkuk, Shengal, and Makhmour.

Iran: 'Woman, Life, Freedom' Moves the Kurdish Issue From the Margins to the Center of Iran's Political Debate

In Iran, Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhilat) has spent more than a century without constitutional recognition of Kurdish national rights, as the Iranian authorities have consistently relied on a security-based approach to Kurdish demands.

In recent years, however—particularly since the "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising following the death of the young Kurdish woman Jina Amini—the Kurdish issue has undergone a significant transformation. What began as a slogan rooted in Kurdish society evolved into the banner of a nationwide protest movement across Iran, placing the Kurdish issue at the center of debates over the country's future and political system.

Earlier this year, political parties in East Kurdistan established a joint coordination framework bringing together several Kurdish forces in Iran. The initiative aims to unify their political position amid developments following the U.S.-Israeli attacks and to emphasize that any future settlement must be based on recognition of national diversity and democratic rights for all communities.

The Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) has argued that the crises facing Iran and the wider region cannot be resolved through security measures alone, but require the establishment of a democratic system that recognizes the rights of all peoples. It maintains that resolving the Kurdish issue is key to stability in both Iran and the broader Middle East.

Kurdish activists and politicians in Iran also say the Kurdish political discourse has changed significantly in recent years. Whereas demands had long focused on cultural rights and ending security-driven policies, Kurdish parties and movements are now increasingly calling for participation in shaping Iran's future, constitutional recognition of national diversity, and the establishment of a democratic system that guarantees the rights of all communities.

From Borders to Rights

For more than a century, debate over the Treaty of Lausanne largely centered on the borders it established. In recent years, however, Kurdish political discourse has increasingly shifted toward constitutional rights, democratic governance, recognition of diversity, and cultural identity, rather than proposals to redraw borders.

Observers say the Kurdish issue has entered a new phase focused on seeking political solutions within the existing states while continuing to demand constitutional guarantees for equal participation and recognition of national rights.

Has the Region Moved Beyond the Legacy of Lausanne?

Although the Treaty of Lausanne remains the foundation of the region's international borders, developments in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran suggest that political debate is no longer centered on the treaty itself, but on how to resolve the issues left unresolved since its signing.

As the 103rd anniversary of the treaty is marked, the Kurdish issue appears to be entering a new era unlike previous decades—one that does not erase the legacy of Lausanne but reflects a shift in demands from geography to politics, from disputes over borders to the pursuit of constitutional recognition, participation in state governance, and the protection of national and cultural rights.

Taken together, these developments suggest that the coming years will be decisive in determining whether the current transformations lead to lasting political settlements or whether the legacy of the Treaty of Lausanne will continue to shape the region's political landscape, as it has throughout the past century.

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ANHA