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Article: Turkey-Syria relations since the Gulf War: Kurds and water.
- Article from:
- Middle East Policy
- Article date:
- May 1, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Middle East Policy Council. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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This article will focus on the challenge of Kurdish nationalism within Turkey, particularly as it affects Turkey's relations with Syria and the distribution of the waters of the Euphrates, Tigris and Asi rivers, with which the "Kurdish problem" is inextricably linked.)
The Kurds are estimated to number some 20-25 million living largely in four Middle East countries: Turkey, with 10-12 million; Iran, with 5-6 million; Iraq, with 3.5 million and Syria, with 1 million. Some 70,000-80,000 Kurds also live in Armenia and in Azerbaijan. Recent reports suggest there are 300,000-1 million Kurds living within the Russian Federation. Since the bulk of Kurds live in ...