Ankara won't regard Kurdistan referendum reason for war: former FM

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Former Turkish Foreign Minister and one of the founders of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Yasar Yakis on Wednesday said his country would not view the Kurdistan Region’s planned referendum for independence from Iraq as a reason for war.

“Turkey is an important Middle Eastern country that has developed close relations with the [Kurdistan Region],” Yakis told the independent news website T24.

“Despite everything said so far, I do not think Turkey will consider it a cause for war if the referendum takes place,” he added.

Yakis said there was no doubt the far-right allies of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government were sincere in their calls for war, but he found it unlikely the brewing tensions with the Kurds would rise to the point of a military action against the Region.

Yakis’ statements came as Ankara launched an army drill with hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles, and thousands of troops moving right on the border in an apparent response to Kurdish authorities’ determination to proceed with holding the referendum.

Still, AKP’s first foreign minister, who has 40 years of diplomatic experience in Europe and the Middle East, believed the Kurdistan Region would pay a price in the face of overwhelming pressure and threats from Turkey, Iran, and world powers led by the United States.

He explained Ankara “was holding high cards” such as commerce and oil deals it has struck with Erbil to use in a bid to disrupt Kurdish aspirations.

“Turkey needs to play these cards well. Thus, it can bargain with Kurdistan to avoid policies that might disturb the Turks,” he said.

“The Kurds gave solid support to the US in the war against Saddam [Hussein’s] regime in Iraq, and during the war against the Islamic State in Syria,” Yakis noted.

“This cooperation with Americans has helped bring the Kurdish cause to the top of the international community’s agenda,” he added.

“Now, the Kurds want to reap the fruits of their successes,” the former Turkish FM said. “When it comes to the Kurds in Iraq, it seems they do not want to miss this opportunity when they are so close to independence.”

Previously, in June, when the Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani announced the date for the referendum, Yakis suggested his country better prepare itself for the emergence of an independent Kurdistan.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany