ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani arrived in Ankara on Thursday, where he met with Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
This marks the first official foreign visit by the top Kurdish official since he took office in July 2019. A high-level delegation is accompanying Barzani on his trip.
Barzani held a joint press conference with Cavusoglu after their meeting, affirming ongoing cooperation between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Turkey. Barzani called for both countries to develop ties further, especially in the economic arena.
He also said during the press briefing that he had discussed the situation in northern Syria, where Turkey and its proxy Syrian militias launched an offensive last month, aimed at pushing the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and establishing a so-called "safe zone" along the Turkish border. Despite two ceasefire deals brokered by the US and Russia separately, fighting appears to be ongoing.
Ankara considers one of the main components of the SDF, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), to be the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) and designates both as terrorist organizations.
The PKK is an armed group that Kurds in Turkey formed after decades of state repression to fight for expanded rights for Kurds in the country. They are currently based in the Kurdistan Region's rugged Qandil Mountains.
They have also been present in small numbers in the Yezidi (Ezidi) majority district of Sinjar (Shingal), in Iraq's Nineveh Province, when the Islamic State overran the area and committed mass atrocities against the religious minority. Ezidis have since formed their own armed groups to defend their people, including one that is said to be allied with the PKK, called the Shingal Resistance Units (YBS).
Erbil has previously called on the PKK and Turkey to cease their fighting inside the Kurdistan Region, which has led to the displacement of dozens of villages in border areas and killed tens of civilians, mainly by indiscriminate Turkish bombings.
In response to a reporter's question on the KRG position on the alleged continued PKK presence in the Shingal area, Barzani said it is currently under the control of Iraqi forces but affirmed Erbil's opposition to the PKK's presence in either Shingal or the Kurdistan Region.
Ankara has also said it aims to resettle Syrian refugees currently residing in Turkey, within the Syrian, "safe zone," many from other parts of Syria. This has raised concerns by locals of forced displacement and demographic change.
Barzani voiced his support for Turkey's cooperation with the United Nations as part of preparations for a resettlement plan. The UN has said that its refugee agency had established a team that is studying the Turkish proposal to ensure a "voluntary, safe and dignified return" for Syrians displaced by nine years of civil war.
Editing by John J. Catherine