Politics

Kurdistan Parliament calls on Iraq to protect the sovereignty of Kurdistan Region

The Kurdistan Parliament on Sunday called on the Iraqi government to act to protect the territorial and airspace sovereignty of the Kurdistan Region.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/07/24 16:51

Kurdistan Parliament Building, Erbil, Kurdistan Region. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

Kurdistan Kurdistan Parliament Zakho artillery attack Iraq PKK Zakho

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Parliament on Sunday strongly condemned Turkish artillery shelling in Zakho last Wednesday that killed nine tourists and called on Iraq to protect the sovereignty of the Kurdistan Region.

The Kurdistan Parliament in an official statement extended its condolences to the families of the tourists who “tragically became victims of a war that has nothing to do with the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.”

The Kurdistan Parliament called on the Iraqi government “to act in accordance with international law and norms and fulfill its legal and constitutional obligation to protect the territorial and airspace sovereignty of the Kurdistan Region, as a federal region in Iraq.”

Moreover, it also called on Iraq to protect it from continuous violations by “neighbouring countries and unlawful militias".

The Parliament also called on Baghdad "to take all legal and diplomatic steps to prevent a repeat of these attacks.”

@KurdistanParl 's condemnation of artillery bombing of Parakh tourist resort in Zakho that killed 9 people: Turkey & the PKK must remove the scourge of their ongoing conflict from Kurdistan Region, keep the Kurdistan Region’s sovereignty and people of Kurdistan out of their fight
— Kurdistan Parliament (@KurdistanParl) July 24, 2022

The Kurdistan Parliament also called on Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to remove the “remove the scourge of their conflict" from the territory of the Kurdistan Region and "keep the Kurdistan Region’s sovereignty and the people of Kurdistan out of their fighting.”

Turkey has increased it's air and artillery attacks on border areas within the Kurdistan Region for several months, targeting the PKK. During the attacks, several civilians have been killed, displaced, and injured.

Also on Saturday, Turkish warplanes bombed the village of Marani near Gara Mountains in Kurdistan Region’s Duhok province.

Furthermore, the Kurdistan Parliament called on Kurdistan Region’s constitutional institutions "to make every effort with the Federal Government to find a lasting solution and to assure the citizens of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq that they will not be under the threat of attacks by neighboring countries and unlawful militias.”

Apart from Turkish attacks, civilians in the Kurdistan Region have also been threatened by rocket and drone attacks by armed groups in Iraq, and border shelling and ballistic missile attacks by Iran.

“We instruct the special committees of the Kurdistan Parliament to investigate this unwanted incident and take the necessary parliamentary measures,” the Kurdistan Parliament concluded.

The two sides expressed their strong condemnation of the Turkish aggressions on Iraqi territory, especially the recent attack that claimed the lives of many innocent citizens.https://t.co/Qdvse4F2J9
— Kurdistan Regional Government (@Kurdistan) July 23, 2022

Also on Saturday, the Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani discussed with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi the Turkish attacks and jointly expressed their “strong condemnation of the Turkish aggressions on Iraqi territory.”

They also underlined the importance to “investigate its circumstances, in a way that fortifies Iraq's sovereignty and prevents violating it in the future.”

The Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein on Saturday announced that the UN Security Council has set Tuesday for an emergency session on the Turkish attack.