Don't upset Barzani, just go ahead and recognize autonomy in Syria too!...

We had a problem in northern Iraq, much like Bafel Talabani.

The problem with Talabani, the son of Jalal Talabani and head of the PUK, was this:

He was intertwined with the Syrian PKK; he was having a hospital built for the PKK in Sulaymaniyah, allowing terrorists to use the airport, allocating helicopters, and forces loyal to him were training PKK/YPG members.

Finally, when it was revealed that the helicopter that crashed in northern Iraq in March 2023 was carrying terrorists, Ankara's patience ran out, and 17 days after this incident, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Turkish airspace was closed to flights in Sulaymaniyah. The reason for the closure was explained word for word as follows:

“Within the framework of the intensification of the activities of the PKK terrorist organization in Sulaymaniyah, the infiltration of the terrorist organization into the airport, and thus the threat to flight safety...”

ANKARA'S BAFEL WORKLOAD

Ibrahim Kalın, the then-Presidential Spokesperson and current head of the MIT, also stated that they “would follow up” on the helicopter incident, adding, “There is no sustainable side to the US supporting the terrorist organization. This not only poisons Turkey-US relations but also upsets the balances in Syria... This must be put to an end now. You cannot fight terrorism by supporting the Syrian branch of the PKK.” He also noted that they were discussing the developments in Sulaymaniyah with both Baghdad and Erbil, and emphasized that “they knew the PKK had a very serious structure in the Sulaymaniyah leg” and that “they would never allow it to gain a foothold.”

Less than a month after the helicopter incident, something else happened; it was revealed that Mazloum Kobani, the head of the Syrian PKK, had held a meeting with Americans near Sulaymaniyah Airport, and that Kobani's convoy had been targeted by an unidentified SİHA (UCAV) in the meantime, and the terrorist leader had escaped by a hair's breadth. Kobani, who blamed Turkey for this attack and strongly condemned it, said the following:

“The national stance of the PUK [Patriotic Union of Kurdistan] in supporting its brothers in Syria has worried Turkey... We will continue our relations with our brothers and allies in Sulaymaniyah.”

This time, the then-head of the MIT, Hakan Fidan, stepped in. He met with Kubad Talabani, Bafel Talabani's brother and Deputy Prime Minister of Barzanistan, and conveyed Turkey's “discomfort with the PUK's relations with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the PKK,” informing him that this situation must be ended for Ankara-Sulaymaniyah relations to normalize.

After Fidan became Minister of Foreign Affairs, he said, “If the PUK does not change its attitude of supporting the PKK despite our sanctions on Sulaymaniyah, we will not hesitate to take further measures.”

During this process, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler also explained how they warned Bafel Talabani as follows:

“Bafel Talabani is constantly being warned about the increase in terrorist activities in Sulaymaniyah. ‘Please cut your ties with terrorist organizations. In any case, it will be to your detriment.’ And it is. The situation is developing like this. We are following everything they do, their activities, we know. Of course, we share these with both our Iraqi friends and our KDP friends. But we don't want to take a harsher action either. These have been said openly, they have been said repeatedly. But no one has bothered to get their act together. Now we have completely cut off our relationship with the airport. I hope that Bafel Talabani will cut off the support or cooperation he gives to these terrorist organizations as soon as possible. We see, know, and follow everything. But we sit and talk with both our Iraqi friends and our KDP friends. In line with these, what needs to be done is being done...”

DEMANDED AUTONOMY FOR THE SYRIAN PKK

So, did those sanctions and warnings affect Bafel Talabani's relations with the PKK/YPG/PYD?

Not at all.

For example, on the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Lausanne, he claimed it was “the beginning of dividing our lands into four” and declared, “We must all work together for a greater Kurdistan.”

He sent the following message to the Newroz celebrations in Diyarbakır this year:

“I wish for this Newroz to be an occasion for peace, organization, and support for the Kurdish cause everywhere. The Kurdish people are a people with a dignified life; let us join hands to ensure a lasting peace, let us work for the victory of Kurdistan... On the occasion of the Kurdish Newroz and the Kurdish new year, which coincides with the resistance in Kirkuk, the Jerusalem of Kurdistan, I offer my sincerest congratulations to the dear people of Kurdistan and wish everyone peace, tranquility, and happiness.”

Finally, in a meeting organized by the Middle East Research Institute in Erbil recently, he said the following regarding the negotiations between the Damascus administration and the SDF:

“Appropriate demands are for the Kurdish regions to have some form of autonomy; whether this is at the provincial level or something similar; or the recognition and protection of language and culture. Also, there should be some kind of security institution that will protect them and that we can accept as Kurds, and it should be integrated with intelligence and military institutions in some way.”

ISN'T ERDOĞAN AWARE OF THE FLIGHT BAN?

Let us recall that not only the government but also MHP leader Bahçeli is uncomfortable with Bafel Talabani and has used expressions for him such as “a subcontractor of global powers, a gang, wrapped in the same swaddling clothes as the PKK/YPG, throwing wood on the fire of sedition in the city of Sulaymaniyah,” and then report the new development.

The day before yesterday, Nechirvan Barzani, the president of Barzanistan, paid an official visit to Ankara and met with Erdoğan.

In the statement made by the Presidential Communications Directorate regarding the meeting, it was emphasized that “Erdoğan stated that they are determined to achieve success in the process of a Turkey without terrorism, and that he considers the continued support of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq for the territorial integrity and unity of Syria to be important.”

Barzani also said, “I was very pleased to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara today. It was an important opportunity to exchange views on regional issues and the close and strategic relations between Iraq, the Kurdistan region, and Turkey. We also discussed ways to further deepen our cooperation and promote regional peace, stability, and prosperity.”

But there was another issue that was not reflected in these official statements.

According to the claim of the Barzani media outlet Rudaw; the flight ban imposed by Turkey on Sulaymaniyah Airport was also discussed in the meeting. It happened like this:

Barzani asked for this ban to be lifted.

Erdoğan asked, “Why are you so worried about Sulaymaniyah?”

Barzani replied, “I am the President of Kurdistan, and Sulaymaniyah is also my territory.”

Upon this, Erdoğan called the head of the Civil Aviation Authority on the phone and asked the question, “What is this issue?” The head provided information that the sanctions on Sulaymaniyah Airport had been recently extended.

After saying “well then,” Erdoğan gave the instruction to lift the ban. Meanwhile, he told Nechirvan Barzani, “Your word is not refused”!..

It's unbelievable, isn't it?! Just as we were about to ask whether we should be surprised that Erdoğan didn't know about the issue or that he lifted the sanction with a single phone call even though there was not the slightest change in Bafel Talabani, these statements came one after another before the ink on this claim had even dried:

The Barzanistan Presidency offered its “thanks and appreciation” to Erdoğan...

Turkish Airlines Communications Head Yahya Üstün shared, “As the flag carrier, we continue to proudly represent Turkey in the skies all over the world... In line with this vision, we are happy to be bringing our Sulaymaniyah route back to the skies soon.”

Sulaymaniyah Governor Dr. Heval Abubakr thanked Nechirvan Barzani for his “persistent demand and efforts in lifting the flight ban on Sulaymaniyah International Airport”...

WHAT DID NECHIRVAN BARZANI SAY BEFORE HE CAME?

Let us report what Nechirvan Barzani, whose request Erdoğan could not refuse, did just before coming to Ankara.

Nechirvan Barzani, who spoke at the closing session of the Middle East Research Institute in Erbil where Bafel Talabani demanded “a kind of autonomy” for the PKK/YPG, stated that they have “very friendly relations” with Ankara and said, “When the disarmament process began, they asked us to help with this process, and we did what was necessary. I think this is a historic opportunity and that the Kurds should not miss it.”

Continuing, after pretending to criticize the PKK and Qandil, he explained that the main point of disagreement they have with the Damascus administration is the belief that “Syria cannot be governed in a centralized way,” and summarized the following:

“Syria is not a single component with the components living within it; it consists of many components such as Kurds, Druze, Alawites, and Christians. A centralized management approach is unsustainable. As the Kurdistan Region, we do not support this view. I also raised this issue in my meeting with Syrian President Ahmed Shara... They say, ‘Come and integrate into the Syrian army,’ but come one by one, this is not right.”

While calling on the Kurds in Syria to go to Damascus, Barzani did not neglect to cite “the experiences of the Kurdistan region in Iraq” as an example, saying, “In 2002 and 2003, we as Kurds had a very important influence in Baghdad, and we went to Baghdad with great importance.”

And so, Erdoğan lifted the Sulaymaniyah sanction at the request of this Nechirvan Barzani.

While you're at it, don't refuse him and fulfill his desire for “decentralized” administration in Syria too!..

Hasn't Ankara already recognized “Barzanistan” step by step like this anyway?!