Ankara ‘will not block Kurdish state in Iraq’

Iraqi Kurdish leader Barzani says Turkey is unlikely to oppose the declaration of an independent Kurdish state, while praising the bilateral ties that Arbil and Ankara have forged over the past decade

Peshmerga forces hold position on the front line in the village of Sulaiman Bek near Kirkuk. Kurdish forces have moved in to take control of Kirkuk and the surrounding territory that the regional government wants to incorporate.

“There were significant improvements. Turkish Prime Minister [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan visited us in Arbil. This was a historic step,” Barzani told German daily Die Welt in a recent interview.

When asked if Turkey and the United States would oppose a Kurdish state, he said, “I do not expect active assistance or resistance,” Barzani told the daily.

“Not long ago, talking about the independence of Kurdistan would could have landed you in jail. Independence is the natural right of every nation,” Barzani was quoted as saying by the Kurdish media outlet Rudaw.

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç said last week Ankara would never support a disintegrated Iraq, while Hüseyin Çelik, spokesperson for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), said Kurdish independence was not Turkey’s “number-one choice.”

The U.S. came out against a call by Barzani for an independence referendum, saying the country could only repel militants by staying united. Barzani told Parliament last week to make preparations for a “referendum on the right of self-determination.”

Session delayed

Meanwhile, a crucial parliamentary session kick-starting the government formation process was delayed as an Iraqi general was killed July...