The Turkish State has applied a lot of financial and geo-political pressure on the Kurds in Southern Kurdistan (otherwise known as Kurdistan – Iraq) and on its leader of the KRG Political Party which has overall control – Masoud Barzani: http://cabinet.gov.krd/p/p.aspx?l=12&p=232. It is said that some of this has been personal financial pressure to line Barzani’s pockets. Other of Barzani’s supporters explain that he needs to keep friendly with Erdogan so that KRG can survive. Whichever way this is, and it may be a mixture of the two, KRG is hostage to the Turkish State’s bidding.
Compare this to the way Turkey is treating its own Kurdish population which is currently being mercilessly bombed by State forces, and the Kurds in Rojava (Western Kurdistan/Syria)
You may remember the prolonged assault by ISIS on Kobani in Rojava, which the Kurdish YPG in Syria defended courageously. At that time, the Turkish State would allow ISIS back and forth across the border, but stopped vital supplies of medicines etc crossing to the Kurds. The Turkish Leader Erdogan however allowed Kurdish Peshmerga (fighters) under Barzani’s control from the Kurdish Region to go to Kobani. His representatives were then also commenting that the Kurds and ISIS were both terrorists but they preferred ISIS. Erdogan could control the Kurds’ effectiveness through Barzani.
We understand that the Kurdish Region is suffering hardship right now. They have a lot of oil but can’t sell most of it because of international rules, but meanwhile they are unable to properly pay the people who work for the State. Even the Peshmerga fighters have not been properly paid. Turkey wants the gas and oil and is urging that private enterprise takes over that will secure their trade if the Government changes, hmmmm.
People who criticise the Barzani dynasty are being imprisoned indefinitely and there is fear and suppression in the Region.
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There was to be a pan-Kurdish conference in 2013, but planning fell to pieces. Our understanding is that Barzani wanted to become the leader of the while Kurdish region, and Saleh Muslim was (rightly in our view) not willing to give way in relation to the Rojava area of Syria: http://ekurd.net/mismas/articles/misc2013/8/state7291.htm
Turkey is determined to divide and weaken the Kurds: http://www.mesop.de/the-end-of-the-idea-of-an-pan-kurdish-conference/
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KDP President Masoud Barzani in Ankara: Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Masoud Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) which has recently strengthened its cooperation with Turkey’s AKP government, has arrived in Turkish capital Ankara.
Barzani, who will meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, is reported to have promotion of relations with Turkey on his agenda.
The KDP President firstly visited the Turkish Intelligence Service (MIT) Undersecretary Hakan Fidan in the MIT building.
The visit of the KDP President, whose remarkably growing support for Turkey attracts attention recently, is also expected to witness new agreements on energy.
Inviting the Turkish military to South Kurdistan while demanding the leave of PKK guerrillas from Kurdistan lands, Barzani has taken sides by Turkey against the criticism voiced by Iraqi central government, Iran and Russia.
KDP President has most recently claimed that the “alleged trucks of ISIS oil” exposed by Russia to be crossing into Turkey, belonged to them.
Regarding the deployment of Turkish troops near Mosul, Barzani said that the situation is being exaggerated and Turkish soldiers are there to provide training and support.
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Deputy Prime Minister Talabani calls for reinvigoration of agreement between Kurdistan Region and Turkey, THU, 28 APR 2016
‘Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) – Kurdistan Regional Government Deputy Prime Minister, Qubad Talabani, yesterday received Turkish Minister of Development Cevdat Yilmaz, Turkey’s Ambassador to Iraq Faruk Kaymakci, Turkey’s Consul General to Kurdistan Region Mehmet Akif Inam, and their accompanied delegation.
They discussed bilateral relations as well as Kurdistan Region’s financial crisis and the war against the Islamic State terrorist organisation, ISIS.
Deputy Prime Minister Talabani called for reinvigorating the agreement the KRG concluded with Turkey in 2013 and setting up a mechanism to support Turkish companies that have been adversely affected by the current financial crisis. He urged working together to remove obstacles standing in the way of developing economic and trade relations.
Deputy Prime Minister Talabani informed that although Kurdistan Region is passing through a difficult situation caused by its war against ISIS and accommodating a huge number of refugees and displaced persons in the midst of a financial crisis exacerbated by a drastic decrease in oil prices and Baghdad withholding obligatory shares of the federal budget, “we are confident that we will overcome all obstacles, particularly the financial crisis by improving the use of our resources. We have started implementing reforms and austerity measures.”
Minister Yilmaz expressed his hope that the Kurdistan Regional Government and Turkey will develop further their relations to benefit from the experience of Turkey, which in 2001 suffered dramatically from a serious economic crisis. However, the reforms it implemented helped his country to overcome its difficulties.
Minister Yilmaz also expressed the readiness of his government to cooperate and coordinate with the Kurdistan Regional Government in various fields, noting that Turkey needs large quantities of energy and fuel from Kurdistan. He highlighted that Turkey and the Kurdistan Region complement each other and their geographical position helps them in this direction.
Regarding the development of the investment sector, Minister Yilmaz pointed out that in order to reduce the high number of government employees and consolidate its economy, Kurdistan Region needs to further develop its private sector.’
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Other Political Parties have been suppressed by Barzani’s Party the KDP. The Goran movement began in UK with people disaffected from Talibani’s PUK, and set itself up to stop tribalism and corruption. Many Kurds believe that Goran may be a little better that the original Parties but do not trust that the leaders are free from bribery and lining their own pockets.
Goran Party has about 100 elected MPs in the KRG Parliament but they have been suspended – not allowed to take their seats in Parliament. This has been at Barzani’s bidding, and in June 2015 an arrest warrent was issued for the Goran Leader Nawshirwan Mustafa:
‘Goran Movement: Barzani must be tried for his crimes
The Movement for Change Party, also known as Gorran or Goran, has started to gather criminal records of Masoud Barzani after Hewler court issued an arrest warrant for Goran Leader Nawshirwan Mustafa yesterday.
The Movement for Change Party, also known as Gorran or Goran (which means “change” in Kurdish), has started to gather criminal records of Masoud Barzani after Hewler court issued an arrest warrant for Goran Leader Nawshirwan Mustafa yesterday.
A report published by a media outlet close to Goran Movement highlights that Massoud Barzani must be tried for the crimes he has committed, which include leaving Yazidis into the hands of ISIS and genocide in Shengal, corruption in oil trade, and forcible seizure of the control in the South Kurdistan parliament.
Regarding the arrest warrant for the Goran leader, the report says; “Hewler court made a great mistake. The court decision is inarguably unlawful. The court has supported corruption and atrocity by remaining under KDP pressure.”
Remarking that Goran Movement is working on a file based on the rights and values of the people, the report listed the crimes committed by Masoud Barzani as follows;
“August 31 treason, abandonment of Shengal and our Yazidi people to ISIS gangs,
Trade with the gangs of ISIS,
Seizure of the regional parliament,
Non-payment of salaries,
Stealing of the country’s wealth resources,
Killing of independent journalists.”
Stressing that Masoud Barzani is criminal and he has first-degree responsibility in all the abovementioned mentioned cases, the report quoted the Goran Movement as stating that; “We have submitted documents on all these crimes to court. Barzani must be tried for the crimes he has committed.” ‘
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Gorran leader Nawshirwan Mustafa returns to Kurdistan Region : 3 July 2016
The Leader of Change Movement (Gorran), Nawshirwan Mustafa, arrived in Sulaimani International Airport in Kurdistan Region of Iraq on Thursday after seven months in Europe, EKurd reported.
Gorran Politburo member Aso Mahmoud predicted Mustafa’s return would initiate a political movement in the region and said the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) was waiting for the “return of Nawshirwan Mustafa.”
“Nawshirwan Mustafa has examined several evaluations for solving issues in Kurdistan during his visit to London,” Mahmoud said. “He has a plan to deal with the region’s situation.”
Mustafa went to Germany for medical treatment in September 2015. After his stay in Germany, he went to the U.K. and during his time there he has met with a number of Kurdish officials.
Gorran spokesman Shorsh Haji told NRT on April 17 that “serious attempts” are underway to normalize the political situation in the Kurdistan Region.
Haji added effort is being made to reactivate the legislature and other government institutions.
Tensions inside Kurdistan Region reached a high on October 12, 2015 when KDP-allied security forces prevented Parliament Speaker Yousif Mohammad and his convoy from entering the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Erbil.
Since then, the Kurdistan parliament has been in recess.
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This is a film about the way that Kurdish refugees from other places – Rojava, and Iraq – are having to survive in the Kurdistan Region:
BBC ‘Our World’: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07hsgkr