Southern Kurdistan politician Faik Gulpi spoke to the ANF on the Turkish state's attacks on Southern Kurdistan, the KDP's cooperation with the Turkish state against the PKK, and the national dialogue between Kurdish forces.

Gulpi said that Turkey, as a fascist state, seeks a military solution in the region. "The Turkish government does not believe in peaceful and democratic means to solve problems, attacking anywhere. In other countries, parliaments do not opt for military operations abroad. Unfortunately, the Turkish army is allowed to carry out military operations in Libya, Syria, Azerbaijan, Kurdistan Region and Iraq through the parliament."

"AKAR CAME TO ASK FOR HELP TO ATTACK SHENGAL"

Expressing that Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar visited Southern Kurdistan and Iraq in order to implement Turkey’s current policies, Gulpi said: “Akar called on the governments of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to eliminate the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Qandil. He asked for help to attack Shengal."

Gulpi said, however, that neither the Iraqi government nor the Kurdistan region have responded or approved these requests.

"TURKISH NATIONALISM"

Gulpi remarked that Turkey and Erdoğan made statements against Iraq, Southern Kurdistan and the Kurdish people. According to Gulpi, "Erdoğan’s aim is to convince Turkish nationalists that he will apply these policies himself if Akar’s visit is now welcome. It should also be noted that the suicide bombers who organized the bombings in Baghdad came from Turkey, which means that Turkey carried it out against Iraq. Because the Iraqi central government did not give any answer to Hulusi Akar. Personally, I believe that the current Iraqi government does not agree with Turkey's plans.”

"KDP MAY COLLAPSE IN BEHDINAN"

Noting that the situation of the Kurdistan Regional Government and especially the KDP is worse compared to other places, Gulpi continued:

“While in the past there were protests against the KDP's policies in Soran, Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk, now there is more dissatisfaction in Behdinan. About 50 people have been jailed so far. In the past, the Behdinan region was the KDP's stronghold but now the same place is in a very opposite position toward the KDP and could be the spot of collapse for the KDP. Therefore, the situation of the KDP in the Behdinan region has worsened. The situation in Behdinan is worse than other regions like Sulaymaniyah and Kirkuk."

'HEWLER-BAGHDAD CRISIS IS RELATED TO AGREEMENTS WITH TURKEY'

Gulpi noted that the problem between the Southern Kurdistan government and Iraq stems from a 50 years of oil agreement with Turkey. He pointed out the KDP has also problems with the Southern Kurdistan people. Noting that the chairman of the cabinet, the President of the Kurdistan Region and many factions in the Kurdistan region are in the hands of the KDP, Gulpi said this is why the KDP is in power in the Kurdistan region.

"However, Southern Kurdistan people have not been able to receive their salaries for months. The KDP has so many problems", Gulpi added.

"THE CURRENT POLICY OF THE TURKISH STATE IS LIKE CANCER"

Referring to the KDP's cooperation with the Turkish state against the PKK, Faik Gulpi said: “Even if they wanted to, they cannot eliminate the PKK with the Turkish and Iraqi armies. They themselves know that such a conflict will lead to the collapse of the KDP. I personally don't think they can do such a thing.”

“As the Kurdish nation, we should know that the current policy of the Turkish state is like a cancer in the human body. The Kurdish people, the peoples of the Middle East, the world democrats, Europe, we must all try to remove this cancer, the AKP-MHP alliance, from the human body. We believe that AKP-MHP will lose in the coming elections and decades old fascist policies in Turkey will come to an end. If they do something stupid like attacking Shengal or elsewhere, a conflict that could destroy Turkey may emerge and the AKP may collapse even before the elections.”

Gulpi continued: “Whether he likes it or not, the US decision is important here. The US does not accept Turkey's policy and opposes it. Trump was with Turkey and opposed to Iran. On the other hand, Biden's arrival can ease the tension with Iran, but if Turkey does not step back from buying the S-400 and keeps arguing with Greece, Libya and Armenia, tensions may further escalate with Turkey."

'KURDISH NATIONAL UNITY MUST BE ACHIEVED'

Calling attention to Kurdish national unity, Gulpi said: “One of our problems is that there is no Kurdish unity. No diplomatic or lobbying work has been done for Kurdish unity. If we consider the Sykes-Picot, which caused great harm to Turkey, Turkey threatens to take control of Mosul, Kirkuk, Aleppo, and much more. As the Kurdish people, we must unite in order not to face the same historical defeat again, we must not put partisanship and ideological interests above national interests.”

Gulpi added: “This unity should reach such a level that we should be able to carry out Kurdish diplomacy altogether. Unfortunately, our diplomatic work is very weak. Turkey is conducting continuous diplomatic efforts against the Kurdish people in the four parts of Kurdistan. Therefore, the unification of the Kurds, a democratic national policy program and definition of active diplomacy is the most important task in 2023 so that another Sykes-Picot does not happen again."