Turkey opposes Iraq’s decision to promote Kurdish language in Kirkuk

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish foreign ministry Wednesday slammed the Iraqi government for issuing a decision which orders the use of the Kurdish language alongside Arabic in formal settings in Kirkuk. Ankara claims that the ruling “restricts” the use of Turkmen language in the disputed province. 

The Iraqi government on February 20 sent a letter to the Kirkuk Governor Rakan al-Jabouri, dictating that official letters should be issued in Kurdish and Arabic languages. It also orders the offices of residency, passport and citizenship in all provinces to ensure that Kurdish keyboard is installed on all computers so that all ID cards are issued in both Kurdish and Arabic languages. 

Arabic and Kurdish are the only official languages of Iraq. 

The ruling, seen by Rudaw English, also states that the languages of Kurds, Turkmens and Assyrians alongside Arabic should be on billboards of public institutions, adding that teachers should be recruited for Kurdish, Turkmen and Assyrian schools. 

The Turkish foreign ministry claimed in a statement on Wednesday that the ruling “restricts the official use of Turkmen language in Kirkuk.”  

“This decision constitutes a violation of the fundamental rights of the Turkmens, who are one of the constituent and primary components of Iraq,” said the ministry, adding that the decision also goes against the Iraqi Constitution. 

“We believe that such steps, which ignore the rights and sensitivities of one of the main components of Iraq and the province of Kirkuk, will harm the efforts towards establishing a culture of peaceful coexistence in Kirkuk,” noted the ministry, calling on Baghdad to “review this decision as soon as possible.”

When Peshmega forces withdrew from the Kirkuk province in the face of an offensive by Iraqi army and militia groups in 2017, the Kurdish governor of the province, Najmaldin Karim, was removed from his position and replaced by an Arab politician, al-Jabouri - who has been accused by Kurds of trying to restrict Kurdish language and Arabize Kurdish villages in the province. 

Some Kurdish residents said in recent years that the problem goes beyond just the signage and they cannot speak their language in official settings.  

Kirkuk is disputed between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and is home to Kurd, Arab, Turkmen, and Christian inhabitants. Each group claims to be the majority in the oil-rich province. Kurdish regard it as their Jerusalem. 

Turkey has supported Iraqi Turkmens financially, politically and logistically for decades, especially after 2003. Turkmen officials often visit Turkey and are warmly welcomed by officials and nationalist politicians.