Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga condemns Turkish defence minister’s denial of Kurdistan

Excerpt

The Iraqi Kurdish Ministry of Peshmerga issued a sharp rebuke of Turkey’s defence minister after he flatly denied the existence of Kurdistan, Kurdish-outlet Rudaw English reported on Sunday.

In a Facebook post, the Peshmerga ministry wrote that Hulusi Akars comments were “surprising” given his high rank within the Turkish government and his experience with Iraqi Kurdistan in particular where Turkey has good relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil, Iraq.

Quotes

• “The mentality of denying a nation or its geography has always been the source of problems and does not lead to anything good,” the ministry said. "If he has any doubts about the existence of the geography of Kurdistan, let him throw a look at the documents and history of the Ottoman state, then he will know whether Kurdistan exists or not.”

  — Peshmerga ministry

Highlights

Sources