The 21st century: Is it the Kurds' time?

At a time when Kurds have gained considerable swathes of territory in Syria's north as a result of fierce fighting with al-Qaeda-linked radical groups, Kurds in the region have accelerated their efforts to take the stage in the region.

Last month witnessed significant visits and important developments for Kurds. First, representatives of Kurdish parties in Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria came together at a major international conference in Ankara.

Just a week later, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani paid a historic visit to Diyarbakır, a city of symbolic value in the Kurdish political struggle in Turkey.

No matter the praise or the criticism, the visit meant a lot to Kurds, as Barzani, who is an important and respected figure for Kurds in the region, was welcomed in Turkey by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in unprecedented fashion.

Kurds, indeed, consider the visit quite significant, as just 10 years ago it was impossible to even discuss the Kurdish question -- not just in Turkey but in the region – and now it is open for discussion.

The close ties between Turkey and the KRG even became something of a joke, with some saying, “When Turkey became alienated in the region due to strained ties with its neighbors, Barzani emerged as a promising partner, one who does not have an independent state.” Such a relationship would have been unthinkable a few years ago, when Ankara enjoyed strong ties with Iraq's central government in Baghdad and was deep in a decades-long fight with Kurdish terrorists on its own soil.

Joking aside, the visit created a win-win situation. Erdoğan got support from Barzani for the ongoing settlement process launched by his government to end the conflict with the terrorist Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), while on other side, Barzani and all other Kurds heard Erdoğan say the word “Kurdistan” publicly for the first time as he greeted the people “of the Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.”

That this term was used by the top Turkish official was seen as an important step by Kurds and an indicator of Turkey's willingness to work on the Kurdish issue. Since the establishment of the KRG, Turkish officials have preferred to use the “Kurdish government” to define the KRG.

Another win-win situation is that Barzani and Erdoğan agreed that the KRG's oil would begin to flow to markets around the world via Turkey in one-and-a-half months. For Turkey, this oil is a golden opportunity to address its energy needs, and for the KRG it is also an opportunity, as it will allow them to push their oil to the market and pave the way for development of the Kurdish region and eventually improving the lives of the people there. Kurds are aware that prosperity can save them and keep them out of conflict.

Shortly thereafter, Nechirvan Barzani, the prime minister of the KRG, visited Ankara, where he and Erdoğan signed a package of landmark contracts that will see the semi-autonomous region's oil and gas exported via pipelines through Turkey during three hour-long meeting, where they also discussed several other issues of regional significance.

These visits came at a time when major changes are taking place in the regional sphere. Despite the concerns of Turkey and the KRG, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), a Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), is moving to capture additional ground in northern Syria, causing disputes among Kurds.

It seems the Kurds are beginning to benefit from the chaotic situation. The PYD announcement in Syria regarding the establishment of an autonomous region resembles the emergence of the autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq after the Gulf War in 1991. In Iraq, Kurds have been in charge of their affairs since 1990s. Today, Iraqi Kurds run their own relatively prosperous region in northern Iraq, have their own army, pursue their own foreign policy and may have the opportunity to realize their aspirations for complete independence.

If the Iraq war had not occurred, would a KRG exist today? Now the same question comes to mind: If the Syrian crisis had not happened, would the Kurds have declared autonomy?

Whatever the future may hold, the developments seem to play into the hands of the Kurds, who have emerged as important players shaping the Middle East.