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Iraqi Kurds support Turkey’s Kurdish initiative
“Any positive initiative on the issue is appreciated by us,” said Falah Mustafa Bakir, the minister in charge of foreign relations in the semi-autonomous Kurdish regional administration.
Bakir criticized the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for its violent tactics and emphasized that it was now the era of peace, dialogue and negotiations, meaning there is no more need for violence and weapons. “The Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG] has taken some measures [against the PKK] inside of the Kurdistan region of Iraq, but at the same time the PKK has extended its cease-fire, which is something we think helps the peace process, peace and stability. So we hope that this will be maintained,” he told Today's Zaman.
The Kurdish administration took measures to limit the movements of the PKK in northern Iraq, from which the PKK launches its attacks on Turkey, such as establishing checkpoints to control the PKK's activities. “We will make sure that our territories will not be used as a launch pad for attacks against our neighbors,” he said. Kurdish authorities will also ban pro-PKK demonstrations in northern Iraq, according to Bakir.
Representatives from the Kurdish administration participated in security talks between the US, Iraq and Turkey, and a Turkish-US-Kurdish center for the exchange of intelligence on the PKK was established in Arbil in February. Bakir said their aim is to continue cooperation, collect information and work for a peaceful solution, not to support Turkey's military operations against the PKK. “We don't believe there is a military solution to this problem. We believe the nature of this problem is political and therefore it needs a peaceful political approach, and to this end, the KRG is willing to play a role to help find a solution,” he said.
The Turkish government is planning to introduce a series of reforms to address the grievances of Turkey's Kurdish population and end the PKK's terrorist campaign.
Bakir underlined that Turkey is an important neighbor and that the Kurdish administration in northern Iraq wants to have a good relationship with Turkey. “They have provided assistance to us during difficult times in our history, and we want to continue this good relationship. We also support Turkish efforts to join the European Union, because then we would be neighbors with a European state. We hope we can promote cultural, commercial and economical ties with Turkey,” he said.
Bakir also praised last year's meeting of the Abant Platform, a nongovernmental arena for intellectual discussion of Turkey's main issues. “Any channel that can improve understanding is important. Sometimes it's the perception that creates problems; therefore, it's important that people have a better understanding of the nature of the KRG, the position of the KRG, the policies of the KRG and our attitudes,” he said. The platform rejected violence and forced assimilation of all ethnic groups in Turkey following last year's discussions on the Kurdish issue.
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