Turkey's rising tension with Russia over Kurds puts Erdoğan in a corner - by Simon Tisdall
Turkey's rising tension with Russia over Kurds puts Erdoğan in a corner by Simon Tisdall Tuesday February 9 th , 2016 at 2:58 PM Russia | The Guardian 1 Share Syrian Kurdish party opening a Moscow office marks new nadir in relations, and could lead to Turkish forces crossing border Escalating tension between Russia and Turkey will reach a new high when the Democratic Union party (PYD), the leading Kurdish political organisation in north-eastern Syria, which Ankara regards as a terrorist group, opens a representative office in Moscow on Wednesday at Vladimir Putin’s personal invitation. The development comes amid a dangerous tug-of-war between Russia and the US for power and influence in strategic areas along the Turkey-Syria border. Washington backs the Syrian Kurds in fighting Islamic State (Isis) jihadis. Moscow’s priority is to thwart western-backed efforts to topple Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian regime. Related: Tens of thousands of Sy