Empire of the Ring

Kurds were brave people that had been strengthening their combat power through guerrilla warfare for its independence for decades.

They were so powerful that they were put at the front line to repulse the IS.

Eriksson assured that it would be a huge force if Kurds with such combat power came into Kazakhstan.

“Your Highness, it’s a world with state-of-the-art weapons, but the battles are done by soldiers. You know the difference between a soldier who’s been trained with no actual experience and a soldier who’s been in action. If the Kurds want to move to Kazakhstan, don’t hesitate to accept them.”

“It can be a headache if they grow up to be a new force in Kazakhstan and then wake up to find their old land in Turkey.”

“Some of them will still say that they’ll find their home country. But most Kurds will soon assimilate and opt for complacency.”

“Let’s consider the matter with time. No matter how much it’ll be beneficial to our population shortage, we must be extra careful about the Kurds.”

“You don’t have to worry too much because Princess Jelyan could be their focal point. They’ll be an absolute loyalist to the Kazakh royal family because of her.”

“That sounds quite appealing.”

It was estimated that 2.5 million Kurds lived in northern Syria.

Since Syria gained independence from France, the Kurds had survived the oppression of the Syrian government countless times. In 2014, the Kurds had declared an autonomous government when the Syrian civil war happened, effectively breaking away from the Syrian government’s control. But after the IS was defeated, the U.S. tried to turn northern Syria into a buffer zone. It supplied weapons to the Kurdistan Regional Government and it became a source of trouble.

In addition, the furious Turkish government began to strike northern Syria to neutralize Kurdish forces.

“The Kurds of Syria are experienced fighters in the Syrian civil war and the war against IS. Without the brave Kurds, the IS would still be on the rise.”

“If Turkey’s airstrikes stop, the Kurds will be left as a reserve force.”

“Yes, but there is another variable. I wonder if the Syrian government will still recognize the Kurdistan Regional Government when the Syrian civil war is over. It had done so when fighting against the IS, but it must’ve changed its mind.”

“It would be disturbing to leave them together. I should pull them apart somehow.”

Eriksson was certain that when the Kurds found out that there was a new place to live safely and peacefully, and that the Kazakh princess is one of them, they would change their mind.

The Kurds were estimated to be 37 million, which was the most populous ethnic group in the world without an independent state. The neighboring countries did not want them to be independent since their size was huge and their residing areas where the oil fields were located.

The Kurds had never had a unified community. Even in Turkey, they were divided into extreme independent groups and self-governing groups, which fought against each other to death. Moreover, living separately for a long time had made their cultural and regional difference gaps so big, that they had regional conflicts with other Kurds.

The Iranian-Iraq war ended in conflict because Iran supported Iraq Kurds and Iraq supported Iranian Kurds.

Iraq’s Kurds were developing their own autonomous government, but this transition had not been helping Kurds in other countries at all.

***

The Turkish government, which was initially doubtful about Youngho’s intervention between Turkey and the Kurdish people, welcomed him after learning about the relationship between Youngho and Jelyan.

The Kurds rejected to communicate with the Turkish government at all because they had long been oppressed by Turkey. They were only focusing on armed struggles for their independence. If Jelyan was known to be a member of the Kazakh royal family, the Kurds might be willing to accept the mediation of the royal family.

Nevertheless, the Turkish government was divided over whether the intervention of the royal family, which had little weight in the international community, would be effective.

Since the Turkish government had rejected the U.S. efforts to mediate between the two, if it took the Kazakh royal family as a mediator, it would be a direct refusal against the U.S. and its relationship with the U.S. would worsen.

Ever since the foreign minister came to the Four Seasons Hotel and gave a puzzled look, Youngho had already seen through his heart. It was because Eriksson had informed this in advance.

“Mr. Secretary, there is a way to restore the Turkish government’s relationship with the United States. Would you like to hear about it?”

“I know Your Highness has many friends in American politics, but if we show that we’re being dragged by the United States, our people will protest against our government.”

“The Syrian Kurds didn’t come to Turkey first, did they? We need to think about the position of the U.S. to resolve this. If the U.S. State Department and intelligence service could be mobilized, they will come up with a solution. They will answer shortly.”

“When the U.S. intelligence service comes forward, things will get even worse.”

“The U.S. intelligence service must come forward to persuade the Kurds.”

“…”

“I understand there are many casualties on both sides of the Turkish military and Kurdish forces. The Kurdish militia is still furious, and no matter what I do, it can still attack the Turkish force. My job is only to appease the Kurds with Princess Jelyan, but coordination has to be done by the United States. The Kurdish militia will listen to the U.S.”

“Please make our position clear to the U.S. The U.S needs to make a promise that it will not support the Kurds in any way.”

“But are you really stopping the attack on Kurdish forces?”

“The operation has to go on until the ceasefire is confirmed.”

Even now, CNN was broadcasting the bombardment on the Kurdish enclave in Syria.

There were countless casualties in the region. Turkey seemed to aim at neutralizing Kurdish forces by attacking them as much as possible until the last minute of the negotiations.

Even if the ceasefire took place, the two sides would remain hostile to each other at this rate. It was obvious that the Kurdish militia would launch terrorist attacks on Turkey to appease the souls of the victims.

“In this situation, no mediation will work. Even the U.S. won’t be able to persuade the Kurds. You should stop the airstrikes at least in civilian areas.”

“We can’t help that anymore. The Kurds will try to take down Turkey anyway, so we need to neutralize their force as much as we can.”

“So it’s hard to have a cease-fire with Kurdistan. It’s not a fight of pride, it’s a matter of survival. This situation arose because the United States acted too rashly. The U.S. will have to understand Turkey first before persuading Kurds.”

The Turkish government had no intention of making any concessions.

It was not something that could be resolved in a short time. Youngho decided to return home for now.

“I’ll go back to Kazakhstan for now and talk to my American friends. I’d like to mobilize not only our royal family but also the international community if I can prevent the bloodshed. The U.S. also admits that it has overreacted because of the IS, so I hope it will be settled smoothly with the U.S.”

“Your effort is very much appreciated. But we cannot allow armed guerrillas to operate in Turkey.”

“Let’s see how the U.S. Department of State reacts. I’ll make sure to convey your message. This is important to Turkey, Kurdistan, and my daughter, Princess Jelyan, too. I wonder how she’d react if she learns about the pain of Kurds when she grows up.”

Youngho subtly warned the minister using Jelyan as an excuse.

When the princess grew up to be an adult, Kazakhstan might have become the most powerful nation in the world. Although Turkey was a brotherly country, its stubbornness could lead both countries to drift apart from each other.

***

Youngho’s group left Turkey for Astana, the capital, instead of going straight to the royal territory. It was because Kasim asked them to come to Astana to be celebrated by the Kazakh people for their first successful resource diplomacy trip.

The ministers were tired after going on the fifteen days of diplomacy trip, but their faces were bright. Kazakhstan’s status in the international community was insignificant before, but they were now treated differently by the officials of the world.

Since the revolution, Kazakhstan had been developed tremendously.

On top of taking the lead in expanding Russia’s inland canal, it had conducted sales diplomacy with south European powers as a stepping stone, which drew attention from the world’s media.

As the plane entered the airspace of Kazakhstan, Youngho gave a speech to encourage all of the ministers on the trip.

“Thanks for your hard work, we have a good relationship with each country in Europe. I don’t want to be full in the first step, but I’m confident that this trip has paid off.”

The most important thing about this trip was the cabinet ministers and working-level officials had gained confidence, and the memory of having equal negotiations with strong nations will serve as the foundation for diplomatic relations with them in the future.

“This time, it was mainly about selling our resources and attracting technology, but in the near future, European investors will also be rushing to the Kazakh market. The purpose of this trip was to create not only resource diplomacy but also to inform other nations that Kazakhstan is a stable investment destination.”

“It was a successful trip just to revamp our image. The world would have been surprised by the hospitality shown to us in Turkey. Which country’s royal family would receive such a welcome? I didn’t know their interest in our royal family was so high. I’ve got goosebumps all over my body.”

Kabak said he was shocked by the reception in Turkey.

“That’s a result of our hard work. Just in time, Turkey asked us to intervene in the Kurdish issue. If we intervene well, we will be able to stand tall as a head state of Eurasia. Please gather your wisdom for this. Moreover, Princess Jelyan is from Kurdistan, and we are going to accept the Kurdish migration since they have no place to go.”

“You must be talking about the Kurds living in Syria or Turkey.”

“Yes. They’re living a harder life than the Kurds in Iran and Iraq.”

“Your Highness, there will be no problem since there are some Kurds living in Kazakhstan. Kurds are also nomadic and they’ll be able to adapt to it in the semi-deserted regions.”

“I remember hearing about them. When did they come into Kazakhstan?”

“They came from Armenia during the Soviet era, and now they’re assimilated enough to be Kazakhs. They’re less than 10,000 people, but they are enthusiastic enough to attend every minority contest.”

“I’d like to see them.”