Sputnik- After almost 7 years of propping up opposing sides in Syria's multi-year conflict, relations between Turkey and Iran are seemingly improving, with both parties working towards a political settlement to end the war in Syria via the Sochi process, and cooperating to counter their mutual regional enemy - Kurdish separatists.




In the aftermath of�Iraqi Kurdistan's independence referendum�� which saw over�90% of�votes cast in�favor of�independence�� Iran,�Turkey�and Iraq united to�isolate the autonomous Kurdish region, and, ultimately, rendered an independent�Kurdish state in�northern Iraq unfeasible.

More recently, during�the wave of�anti-government protests in�Iran, Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, expressed support for�the Iranian leadership.

Erdogan's rare show of�support for�Iran caught many by�surprise, as�Turkish proxy militants are currently battling the Syrian Army and a string of�Iran-backed forces in�Syria's northwestern province of�Idlib.

However, when the potential regional implications of�an escalation in�Iran are considered, Erdogan's stance becomes understandable and unsurprising.

President Erdogan and his government are perhaps already dreading the prospect of�refugees crossing the Turkey-Iran border to�escape violence or political instability in�Iran, as�Turkey is already burdened with�in excess of�2 million Syrian refugees, and has been receiving insufficient external support to�limit the economic fallout caused by�the refugee crisis.

Furthermore, Iran's population is almost four times greater than�Syria's pre-war population, so the exodus of�Iranians into�neighboring countries would inevitably be huge, and potentially unparalleled by�any recent regional crisis. The economic costs of�such a crisis are likely to�cost Erdogan and his AKP party support amongst�Turkey's electorate.

Perhaps more importantly, political instability in�Iran could see Kurdish separatists from�the PJAK militant group gain influence and territory in�Iran, near�Turkey's bordering, in�a similar fashion to�how their Syrian counterparts capitalized on�the power vacuum to�seize control of�large swathes of�northern and north-eastern Syria, including around�80% of�the country's proven oil reserves.

The presence of�Kurdish-led forces near�Turkey's southern�border�has concerned Erdogan, and he recently announced that a military operation would imminently be launched against�Kurdish militants in�Syria.

Although relations between�Iran and Turkey aren't entirely amicable, it's clear that Turkey is directly exposed to�any adverse developments in�Iran, and is therefore keen for�the status quo to�hold.

For the time being, cooperation between�Iran and Turkey is strictly limited to�a few matters where they both have shared vested interests, or need to�tackle a common threat. There certainly is scope for�Turkey-Iran relations to�strengthen, especially once the dust settles from�the conflict in�Syria, as�they'll no longer be actively backing warring parties.

Turkey will also need to�initiate and maintain a level of�cooperation with�President Bashar al-Assad's government�� considered to�be Iran's closest regional ally�� to�catalyze the safe return of�refugees in�Turkey to�Syria, and bolster bilateral post-war trade. This cooperation could further align Turkey with�Iran.

The views and opinions expressed by�Suliman Mulhem�are those of�the author and do not necessarily reflect those of�Sputnik.