'Kurdistan Region relations with Turkey is unshakable'

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Region and Turkey's stability is interrelated and the relations between these two governments go beyond the interests of political parties, said a Turkish official on Thursday.

In an exclusive interview with Kurdistan24, the Turkish consul in Erbil Mehmet Akid Inam stated that the bilateral relations between Erbil and Ankara remain strong, even after the resignation of the former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.

“The relations between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey is between the governments, not political parties,” he emphasized.

Inam mentioned that a positive dynamic exists between the government of Turkey and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and it is not based on political parties.

Moreover, he commented on the recent military coup attempt in Turkey and stated that everyone now believes that the "terrorist group" of Fetullah Gulen, the exiled Turkish cleric in the US, attempted a coup which would have no benefit for the people and government of Turkey.

Since 1970, Gullen has tried to sneak into the government of Turkey through fraud documents and secret mechanisms to conduct a coup.

Inam noted that the relations between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey would have been negatively affected had the coup been successful.

“Unfortunately, some wrong data and information were published on different media outlets and social media networks during the military coup attempt on July 15, which had a negative psychological impact on the minds of people of Turkey,” he said.

He praised the support of the Kurdistan Region against the military coup attempt and noted that both the Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani and Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani condemned the coup attempt.

They expressed their support for the elected government of Turkey and democracy by issuing statements as well as sending their representatives to the Turkish Consulate General in Erbil, Inam added.

“The stability and security of Turkey means the security and stability of the Kurdistan Region and the opposite is true,” said the Consul.

Additionally, Inam acknowledged that Turkey aims to make changes in its visa system to facilitate entry for the people of the Kurdistan Region.

“If it was my decision, I would have even removed visa between the people of the Kurdistan Region and Turkey… Now, the government of Turkey is planning to make visa easier for the people of the Region,” he concluded.

Editing by Ava Homa