And it is intimately involved in the affairs of the Kurdistan Regional Government, the K.R.G., in order to keep close tabs on Turkey's own Kurdish separatist movement, which is based there.
This created an artificial separatist regime, which is de jure a part of Moldova, while in fact it is a military Russian springboard, fully subsidized from the federal budget of Russia and isolated from the rest of the world.
Following accusations that Russia is supporting the separatists in Ukraine, which is not a Nato member, there are concerns it could foment similar unrest in the Baltic states.
Some 40 leading members of Batasuna, a banned separatist political party which is heavily involved in the process, and other separatist groups were formally accused with being Eta members on Tuesday.
Speaking after meeting Mr Tusk, Mr Erdogan anticipated questions about his attacks on the Kurdish separatist group PKK – which is also fighting Isis – insisting that both were terrorist groups.
The blast, six days before the general elections on Sunday, was blamed on the separatist group E.T.A., which is also blamed for two car bombings since January that have killed three people.
Voters rejected warnings from the national government in Madrid that a victory for moderate nationalists would mean support for the armed separatist group E.T.A., which is blamed for almost 800 killings in the last 30 years.
Voters rejected warnings from the national government that a victory for moderate nationalists would mean support for the armed separatist group E.T.A., which is blamed for almost 800 killings in the past 30 years.
Benjamin Jones (NYT) SPAIN: POLICE SEIZE 9 TIED TO BASQUES In a continuing crackdown on Basque radicals, the police arrested nine suspected members of a group considered the underground political structure of the armed separatist group E.T.A., which is blamed for 13 killings so far this year.
Officials have blamed separatists from Xinjiang - which is home to the Muslim Uighur minority - for the attack.
