The AKP, which started an attack on the Federated Kurdistan Region with support of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), dreams of "Neo-Ottomanism". Returning with defeat from its attack on Garê on February 10, 2021, the AKP launched a comprehensive air and ground attack on Zap, Metîna and Avaşîn regions on April 23, 2021. Putting forward the KDP's Gulan and Zerewanî special forces, the Roj peshmerga and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups, the AKP could not get the desired result despite its technical superiority and chemical attacks. Not being able to make any progress in the cross-border operation, AKP launched a new wave of attacks on April 17 in direct partnership with the KDP.

 

Pointing out that the AKP-KDP cooperation is a dangerous alliance after the cross-border operation launched on April 23, 2021, journalist Kamal Chomani said that the KDP is an extension of Turkey's "Neo-Ottomanism" dreams.

 

KDP-TURKEY RELATIONS

 

Stating that there are strong economic and military relations between Turkey and the KDP, and this situation dates back to the 1980s, Chomani said, “These relations became much stronger in the early 1990s when Turkey tried to get the KDP involved in the war against the PKK. In the 1990s, the PKK had bases in Hewler. The KDP attacked the PKK in 1996. A civil war broke out between the PKK and the KDP. From time to time, the KDP murdered PKK members and even carried out actions that amounted to massacres. Dozens of PKK guerrillas lost their lives in the attacks of the KDP at Turkey's request.

 

WIKILEAKS DOCUMENTS!

 

Stating that the relations between the KDP and Turkey improved in this process, Chomani said: “Their relations were not that good in the early 2000s because Turkey was aggressive against the Kurdistan region at that time and PKK-KDP relations were not that bad. According to Wikileaks documents, Barzani demanded protection for the Federated Kurdistan Region against the aggression of the Turkish army in a letter to George Bush at that time. Mesut Barzani, interestingly, said that Turkey attacked not only the PKK, but also all Kurdish identity, ethnicity and all Kurdish formations wherever they are. These relations changed when Turkey developed its relations with the Federated Kurdistan Region based on economic partnership, especially when the Kurdistan region discovered gas and oil resources and started selling them to Turkey.”

 

UNKNOWN AGREEMENT WITH THE KDP

 

Stating that the relations between the KDP and Turkey became stronger after 2008 and 2009, when the AKP was in power, Chomani said, “Now, the relations between Turkey and the KDP are mostly shaped by two types of relations. The first is the security issue for Turkey against the PKK, and the second is the economic relations developed over gas and oil resources. As a matter of fact, a 15-year gas agreement was signed between Turkey and the Federated Kurdistan Regional Government in 2009-2011. This agreement was mostly with the Barzani family. However, no one from the Kurdistan region knows what is it in this agreement. Relations have become very strong both because of oil and gas resources and the PKK.

 

TURKEY'S PRESENCE IN THE REGION

 

Pointing out that Turkey's presence in the Federated Kurdistan Region has strengthened with the AKP's return to war policies in 2015, Chomani said, "When ISIS attacked Iraq and North-East Syria, Turkey began to expand strategically in the region and wanted to expand its territory. KDP was Turkey's best help in Iraq. Depending on this partnership, Turkey wants to fight against the PKK. Turkey wants to gain control over gas and national resources in the Federated Kurdistan Region. It also has hopes to reach some points in Mosul and Kirkuk through the KDP. In this regard, the KDP is helping Turkey a lot. KDP also has economic and financial interests. KDP is a very conservative and patriarchal political party. They always see the PKK, which is a progressive party, as a threat to themselves. The PKK focuses on issues such as women's rights, social and economic justice, equality and socialism, and talks about all these. This is a threat to the KDP." 

 

THE MERCENARY OF TURKEY

 

Stating that the KDP is Turkey's "mercenary" with the cross-border operation launched on April 17, Chomani explained the reasons for this as follows: "The main reason is economic. The KDP wants to export the national resources of the Federated Kurdistan Region, such as oil and gas, to Turkey. The situation and image of the KDP in the Federated Kurdistan Region is quite bad. The government is collapsing, the main reason being the insistence of the Barzani family on the policy of monopoly. The KDP believes that sooner or later the people in the Federated Kurdistan Region will start to revolt against them. KDP wants to be protected. As long as they have Turkey's support, they think it will be a guarantee for them.”

 

NATIONAL RESOURCES ARE EXPLOIED

 

Referring to the economic interests of the KDP in Turkey, Chomani said, “Turkey has more than 30 military bases in the Federated Kurdistan Region. This is the existential interest of the KDP. Turkey and KDP have significant profits in the international market, oil and gas exports of the Federated Kurdistan Region. Erdogan family companies benefit from the national resources of the Federated Kurdistan Region through Bayraktar, and the KDP also benefits fromm it. But the people of Kurdistan are suffering. The Federated Kurdistan Regional government is struggling to pay monthly salaries. The relations between the KDP and Turkey over oil and gas caused the Iraqi government to take measures on the Federated Kurdistan Regional Government. The KDP and Turkey are in a close relationship, not as a government, but as family friends, as the Erdogan and Barzani families. They want to continue exploiting the national resources of the people of Kurdistan.” 

 

EXISTENCE OF THE KURDS IS DENIED

 

Emphasizing the talks between Federated Kurdistan Regional President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Mesrur ​​Barzani with AKP President Erdogan, Chomani said that despite the KDP-Turkey relations, the Barzani administration was not constitutionally accepted and said: "Turkey never accepted the Federated Kurdistan Regional Administration in Ankara as an open representative. KDP was represented in Ankara. The Federated Kurdistan Regional Government has representatives in 14 countries, including America, Germany, England, France and Sweden. However, Turkey does not accept the Federated Kurdistan Regional Government as a constitutional, legal government. Turkey, sees it as a kind of local government, never accept the existence of Kurdistan or the Kurds. We can see this when they do not use the Kurdistan flag when they meet with the Kurdish authorities. Finally, while Hulusi Akar was speaking in the parliament, he completely denied the existence of Kurdistan anywhere in the world. One of Turkey's most strategic policies is not to recognize Kurdistan. They can somehow recognize the Kurdish people, but they cannot recognize the Kurdish land.”

 

'KURDISTAN IS EXPLOIED'

 

Recalling the assets of the Barzani family which was revealed recently, Chomani said: “It is necessary to look at how the Barzani family exploited and benefited from the national resources of the Kurdistan region. There are many documents and evidence of millions of dollars of fortune and real estate in the USA, Dubai and the UK. But the entire oil market, the gas market, the real estate market, the communications market, almost everything is controlled and exploited by the Barzani family. Turkey's exports and their corruption add wealth to their wealth. On the one hand, the Barzani family is being involved in corruption, on the other hand, it helps Turkish companies. Turkish companies are known to be associated with the Erdogan family. Turkey also benefits from Barzani's corruption through oil exports. Kurdistan is turning into a market for companies affiliated with Erdogan's family, MIT and Turkish Armed Forces (TSK). Turkey is involved in oil smuggling and the Barzani family benefits from it.”

 

BARZANI'S WAR COLLABORATION

 

Referring to the meeting between Mesrour Barzani and Erdoğan on April 14, Chomani said: “There were two reasons for the last meeting between Barzani and Erdoğan. First reason; There was a lot of talk about oil and gas, how Turkey can benefit from the gas in Kurdistan because Kurdistan has a large gas reserve. Secondly, they informed Barzani about their attack on the PKK. So the operation began. Erdogan needs this war. There are elections in 2023. They are also forcing the opposition to support it because Turkey's main opposition CHP rejected the TSK's operation outside of Turkey's territory in an extension vote. Erdogan took action against it. Erdogan needed support for the war. Unfortunately, the KDP, the Barzani family came to Turkey's aid, especially Mesrour ​​Barzani is cooperating ith Turkey in this war. Nechirvan Barzani was also helping Turkey. But now Masrour Barzani is doing more because Masrour Barzani wants to develop strong relations with the Erdogan family. Mesrour Barzani wants to control the oil and gas controlled by Neçirvan Barzani.

 

KDP IS A PARTY IN THE WAR

 

Pointing out that the KDP is a part of the war, Chomani said, "Other political parties in the region will not be a part of it, the people will not support them. The situation in Kurdistan is very delicate, fragile and polarized. If it goes on like this, it may set the stage for a kind of civil war between the youth close to the PKK and the KDP. Young people do not accept Turkey's attacks carried out in cooperation with the KDP. Neither the Iraqi government nor the Iranian government is a supporter of the Turkish attacks."

 

'TREACHERY WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED'

 

Warning that the situation that the KDP is in will cause a civil war, Chomani said, "If it continues like this, there will be another civil war between the PKK and the KDP. The PKK has legitimacy for war because they always avoided conflict with the KDP. Now KDP's aid to Turkey is rejected by every individual in Iraq and the Federated Kurdistan Region. If things continue like this, the PKK will not accept the betrayal of the KDP and Barzani family." 

 

 

MA / Ozgur Paksoy