In September 18th, Turkish columnist Ilnur Cevik wrote a funny paper in the New Anatolian. Well of course he didn’t want to make laughing by complaining about a sudden coldness from Iraqi Kurds towards the Turkish companies which did invest and work in the Kurdish Region. Ilnur Cevik launches a pathetic appeal to Kurdish PM Nêçirvan Barzanî : ““Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani is one of the few leaders who really appreciates the importance of Turkey and its business power and what it can do for the Kurdish region. So he has to intervene to stop this negative trend.”
What is funny is that Ilnur Cevik at any moment seems to think that the reason of this changing attitude is perhaps the recent Turkish threatenings against Kurdistan and the absence of any recognizing of the Federal Region in Kurdistan, adding to the courteous invectives against both Kurdish presidents, called “tribal chiefs” by Ankara, adding to the refuse to dialogue with any Kurdish government, adding to all Turkish attemps to prevent the referendum of Kirkuk, adding to many annoyances at Ibrahim Khalil Border gate, with huge queues, racist insults, confiscation of any thing daring to mention a non-existant Geographical name (beginning with a ‘K’) adding to the backward order, for Kurdish travelers going through Turkey, even in istanbul airport, just because a boy has for name the name of a non-existant country but yet threatening Turkish nationalism, adding to the hysterical reaction of Maritime Custom Office in Bosphorus, just because a Corean cargo mentionned to transport goods for a non-existant country with a name beginning by ‘K’, and last but not least the continuous shellings of Kurdish villages by Turkish artillery…
It is so “Turkish” to insult, threaten, shout to million of people that they DON’T exist… and then claiming with indignation when people seem a bit annoyed and don’t welcome them so warmly.
No one cannot suspect Ilnur Cevik of bellicist positions against Kurdistan. He is always an enthusiastic partisan of a Turkish-Kurdish Alliance. But the way in which he depicts the activities of the Turkish companies in Kurdistan make smile. If we read him, Turkish companies act with the humane devotion of NGO’s, without any preoccupation with a profit : a real missionnariat:“At a time when the relations between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Ankara are cool the Turkish companies have been the bridge of friendship between Iraqi Kurds and Turks. They have braved terrorist attacks (Which one’s ???), adverse regional conditions and even very sluggish bureaucracy (they largely contribute to slugging btw) to continue their efforts to help in the development of the Kurdistan region of Iraq.”
Of course, all Turkish investments in KRG have been inspired by pure altruism and Turkish buisnessmen did make any profit.. But the journalist continues sadly :
“However, in recent times we see with sadness and alarm that Turkish companies have started to leave the Kurdish areas and Turkish goods that are traded in northern Iraq are being replaced by goods from Jordan, Iran and other local sources.”
Perhaps just because Turkish goods are quite expansive ? But in the other hand, in Jordania, Iran, and Gulf countries, a Kurdish citizen can travel the mention of his Kurdishness on his passport without trouble. And even if Turkish companies are not responsible of their own politicians’ stubborness, the obstination from Ankara to negociate with Baghdad and not Erbil, especially concerninf oil-trade and exploitation could be a serious handicap comparing with other foreign enterprises.
“The brotherly people of the region have to see that sooner or later they will realize that their only friend in the region who can always offer a friendly hand are the Turks.”
Too bad that for the moment, Turkish diplomacy does not seem aware of these familial bonds.
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