ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Turkey’s foreign ministry has slammed the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) over its plans to print commemorative stamps marking the papal visit with a map of greater Kurdistan, calling on Kurdish authorities to correct the “grave” mistake.
“Certain presumptuous authorities in the KRG dared to abuse the mentioned visit, to express their unrealistic aspirations against the territorial integrity of Iraq’s neighboring countries,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a Wednesday statement.
“KRG authorities are in the best position to remember the disappointing outcomes of such deceitful aims,” added the statement.
Pope Francis landed in Baghdad on March 5 for a three-day historic and first-ever visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, where he met with senior officials and leaders, held prayers and masses.
The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Transportation and Communication issued six stamps to mark the historic visit of Pope Francis to the Kurdistan Region on March 7, one of which includes a picture of the pope and greater Kurdistan – which includes Kurdish areas in Turkey.
Kurdish lands, known as Greater Kurdistan, were divided between Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria under the 1916 Sykes-Picot Agreement.
“We expect an urgent and clear statement from the KRG authorities that immediately rectifies this grave mistake,” the Turkish foreign ministry added.
Iran also opposed the act, saying issuing the stamps are “against international principles and rules.”
“The Islamic Republic of Iran... has called for the immediate reversal of this unfriendly action,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Wednesday.
The head of the Iraqi Turkmen Front also released a statement on Wednesday condemning the act as “threatening the territorial integrity of Iraq, including the governorates of Kirkuk and Mosul. This step is considered a direct threat to Iraqi, regional and international security.”
“We advise the regional government and the Kurdish political parties to preserve the security and unity of Iraq and the region and not to repeat the mistakes of the past,” they added.
The KRG’s Minister of Transportation and Communication Ano Abdoka said on Tuesday the designs “are not final” and the ministry’s work is “always within the framework of respecting the constitution and the national sovereignty of Iraq, land and people.”
“Some artists and designer in Kurdistan region proposed these [designs] to the Ministry of Communication and Transportation, none of these samples have been accepted yet, because legal procedures are followed,” KRG spokesperson Jotiar Adil said in a press conference on Wednesday evening.
Updated at 11:09pm
