Azerbaijan, Baku, 22 February/ corr. Trend A. Gasimova/ The incursion of Turkey to Iraq will disunite Turkish and Iraqi governments, will lead to misunderstanding in international community and exasperation of Kurdish people and will cause a rise in terrorist threat and instability in the region, Mikhail Margelov, the Russian MP said.
The Turkish army launched land operations against Kurd separatists in north of Iraq on 22 February at night time. According to Turkish mass media, some 10,000 Turkish military men crossed the Iraqi border with the help of the fighters. Koshiyar Zerabi, the Iraqi foreign minister has stated that the Iraqi government does not posses any information about military incursion into the country.
"One can understand Turkey as any terrorist threat and separatism should be fought against. However, if Iraqi government is not able to control its north territories, which it admits himself, then Turkey should look for other ways of struggle," Mikhail Margelov, the chairman of the Committee for International Affairs of the Federation Council of the Russia Federation said to Trend . There are number of appropriate ways of fight against the separatists, including the elimination of channels that fund the potential brigade of military men, the support to the legitimate government of Iraq in establishing control over the north territories of the country and strengthening of international control over the situation in the region, the expert said.
"The incursion of Turkey to the north regions of Iraq creates double situation with which the countries considering the actions of Pristine to be legitimate are facing after Kosovo declared itself independent. On one hand, Ankara recognizes and supports Kosovo separatists, on the other, fights fiercely against Kurd separatists in south of Turkey and north of Iraq," Margelov said. According to political scientist, the Kurd military men aim at establishing independent Kurd government and the incursion is directed against them. "The double standards that Ankara demonstrates is a result of the neglect of the international law by west Powers," he said. There is a dangerous precedent and legislation vacuum which can be filled with nothing at present. "As a result, the positions of separatists become more legitimate and the positions pf those who support the territorial integrity and respect for the international law become more vulnerable," he said.
The Turkish prime minister Rajab Tayip Ardogan said in January that the Turkish government will fight against Kurd Labour Paty (PKK) until it gains victory over them. According to prime minister, the fight against Kurds is a part of the worldwide war on terror. He also said that Turkey is not interested in occupying north territories of Iraq for the fight against Kurds and Turkey strongly supports Iraq's territorial integrity.
Kurds are nation who do not posses their own government and they aim at establishing their own government. The Kurds are particularly populated in the regions that border with Iraq, Iran and Turkey.
The Kurdish Labour Party, announced a terrorist organization by UN and EU, has been struggling to establish autonomy of Kurds in Turkish territories for about 25 year. The conflict claimed over 40 lives up to now.