Erbil Consulate General offers condolences to the ‘Kurdistan Regional Government’

The Erbil Consulate General has shared a message of condolence for 6 Peshmerga who died in the Kurdistan Regional Government, which is under the Barzani administration and is described by Turkish authorities as an “official autonomous region bound by the Iraqi Constitution.”

The Kurdistan Region Ministry of Peshmerga had announced that Iran carried out an attack against the Peshmerga on March 24, 2026. The condolence message from the Erbil Consulate General regarding the Peshmerga forces, an armed unit aiming to achieve the goal of a Kurdish state, is as follows:

“We are saddened by the loss of life that occurred this morning among members of the KRG Peshmerga forces.

We convey our condolences to the families of the victims, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the people of Iraq.”

WHAT HAD HAPPENED?

As part of his visit to Iraq, the Pope went to Erbil on March 7, 2021, and the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) had 6 different stamp samples printed in memory of the visit. The inclusion of a map on one of the stamps that also covered the Southeastern and Eastern Anatolia regions of Türkiye drew a reaction from Ankara.

In a statement made by the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the time on March 10, 2021, it was stated: “Some insolent KRG officials are attempting to use this visit to reveal their vain dreams regarding the territorial integrity of Iraq’s neighboring countries. The KRG authorities know best how such insidious ambitions end in frustration. We expect the KRG authorities to make the necessary explanation regarding the immediate correction of this grave mistake as soon as possible and in a clear manner.”

‘HAD BEEN THE SUBJECT OF INVESTIGATIONS’

In 2013, as part of the “Solution Process,” the then-KRG President Masoud Barzani was invited to Diyarbakır by AKP Chairman and President Erdoğan. KRG flags were flown at the open-air meeting organized in the city, and they were also used at Ankara Esenboğa and Istanbul Atatürk Airports during Masoud Barzani’s visit in 2017. On the other hand, KRG flags were also present during meetings between AKP Chairman and President Erdoğan and the then-Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar with KRG officials.

However, on the other hand, the flag in question had been the subject of investigations for the crime of “making propaganda for an armed terrorist organization” under the Anti-Terror Law.

‘MUTUAL INTERESTS’

12punto has brought back to the agenda some of the posts and statements of the Erbil Consulate General, which began its operations on March 11, 2010. In his statements to the Anadolu Agency on November 24, 2022, the former Turkish Consul General in Erbil, Mevlüt Yakut, said, “Our relations are multifaceted. Trade is an important dimension. The presence of our companies here makes a significant contribution to the development and progress of this place (the KRG),” while adding, “We desire to advance our dialogue here on the basis of mutual interests and respect for mutual sensitivities. This is also our expectation from the new Iraqi government, and it forms an important part of our dialogue with Erbil. That is, we expect an end to the presence of the PKK in Iraq and the presence of other terrorist organizations such as FETÖ.”

Considering the terrorist organization PKK’s self-dissolution last year and the Peshmerga-PKK conflict in the region, the words of former Erbil Consul General Mevlüt Yakut reveal a strategy of that period.

SO WHAT NOW?

According to some circles, while the AKP government in Türkiye adopts a stance in favor of the US and Israel, the question of whether there is a political reason behind the Erbil Consulate General’s expression of condolences to the KRG, especially against an attack carried out by Iran, remains a question mark in people’s minds.

News Source: 12punto