ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkmen and Arabs know that they are partners with Kurds in Kirkuk, and the Kirkuk government will continue to serve all peoples equally as they have done in the past, the provincial governor stated.
“Turkmen people and the indigenous Arabs know that they are partners with the Kurds in this city,” Najmaldin Karim told Rudaw in an exclusive interview. “[W]e have served all parties without difference and we have been continuing in this kind of work and service and we will continue in the future.”
Karim was speaking of protests following the provincial council’s decision to hoist the Kurdistan flag alongside the Iraqi one over the city’s government institutions.
The governor claimed it was a small number of Turkmen protesting, fewer than 100, and they did not reflect the opinion of the city’s Turkmen population as a whole.
Iraqi Turkmen Front leadership have protested the raising of the Kurdistan flag in the ethnically diverse city.
“Kirkuk is a fire that if ignited will burn everyone,” Arshad Salihi, the leader of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, told Rudaw in March, commenting on raising the Kurdistan flag in Kirkuk, “That is why I say ‘Mr. Najmaldin you are wrong and I hope that you reconsider your decision.’ Otherwise, we cannot control angry youth when they take to the streets.”
The deputy leader of the Iraqi Turkmen Front earlier this week called on Baghdad to do more in order to have the flag lowered, asking the Council of Ministers to “issue a decree to revoke the Kirkuk Provincial Council’s decision to fly the Kurdistan flag.”
Before raising the flag on the eve of the Newroz holiday, Karim said he met with Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, both with the Iraqi Turkmen Front and outside that group, Chaldean, and Assyrian political representatives.
“We also talked to people outside parties and political organizations, who are the majority among the Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen. We talked to them. This wasn’t done alone,” said Karim.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said his government rejects what he called a unilateral decision made by the local Kirkuk government, a charge the governor denied.
“It wasn’t unilateral,” Karim said.
Even those who speak publicly denouncing the decision to fly the flag, Karim said, “say they don’t have a problem with flag of Kurdistan when they meet with us.”
Kirkuk authorities maintain that they are legally permitted to raise both flags as they are a disputed area as defined by the Iraqi constitution. They also note that Kirkuk has been largely under Kurdistan Region administration and protection since ISIS took over large parts of Iraq in 2014.
“Had it not been due to the Peshmerga, there would be neither Iraq’s flag in the city nor that of Kurdistan. There would have been ISIS’ flag there. This is a fact,” Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said on Thursday.
Baghdad argues that, as a disputed area, Kirkuk comes under the administration of Baghdad and should only fly the Iraqi flag.
“Turkmen people and the indigenous Arabs know that they are partners with the Kurds in this city,” Najmaldin Karim told Rudaw in an exclusive interview. “[W]e have served all parties without difference and we have been continuing in this kind of work and service and we will continue in the future.”
Karim was speaking of protests following the provincial council’s decision to hoist the Kurdistan flag alongside the Iraqi one over the city’s government institutions.
The governor claimed it was a small number of Turkmen protesting, fewer than 100, and they did not reflect the opinion of the city’s Turkmen population as a whole.
Iraqi Turkmen Front leadership have protested the raising of the Kurdistan flag in the ethnically diverse city.
“Kirkuk is a fire that if ignited will burn everyone,” Arshad Salihi, the leader of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, told Rudaw in March, commenting on raising the Kurdistan flag in Kirkuk, “That is why I say ‘Mr. Najmaldin you are wrong and I hope that you reconsider your decision.’ Otherwise, we cannot control angry youth when they take to the streets.”
The deputy leader of the Iraqi Turkmen Front earlier this week called on Baghdad to do more in order to have the flag lowered, asking the Council of Ministers to “issue a decree to revoke the Kirkuk Provincial Council’s decision to fly the Kurdistan flag.”
Before raising the flag on the eve of the Newroz holiday, Karim said he met with Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, both with the Iraqi Turkmen Front and outside that group, Chaldean, and Assyrian political representatives.
“We also talked to people outside parties and political organizations, who are the majority among the Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen. We talked to them. This wasn’t done alone,” said Karim.
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said his government rejects what he called a unilateral decision made by the local Kirkuk government, a charge the governor denied.
“It wasn’t unilateral,” Karim said.
Even those who speak publicly denouncing the decision to fly the flag, Karim said, “say they don’t have a problem with flag of Kurdistan when they meet with us.”
Kirkuk authorities maintain that they are legally permitted to raise both flags as they are a disputed area as defined by the Iraqi constitution. They also note that Kirkuk has been largely under Kurdistan Region administration and protection since ISIS took over large parts of Iraq in 2014.
“Had it not been due to the Peshmerga, there would be neither Iraq’s flag in the city nor that of Kurdistan. There would have been ISIS’ flag there. This is a fact,” Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said on Thursday.
Baghdad argues that, as a disputed area, Kirkuk comes under the administration of Baghdad and should only fly the Iraqi flag.
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