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Visit of Turkish FM in Iraq's Kirkuk aimed at protecting security of Turkey

Politics Materials 3 August 2012 12:49 (UTC +04:00)

Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug. 3 /Trend R.Hafizoglu/

The visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to the Iraqi province of Kirkuk, which caused resentment of the central government of Iraq, aimed at protecting the security of Turkey, head of the Association of Iraqi Turkmens Mithat Ibrahim said.

"The region is experiencing a very unstable period today. In such an atmosphere Davutoglu's visit to Kirkuk is a step aimed at maintaining security in the country," Ibrahim told Trend.

According to him, the Iraqi government has no reason to oppose this visit, as it was planned and discussed by the governments of Turkey and the Kurdish autonomy.

"The Turkish authorities may carry out visits and take any steps to ensure the safety of Turkey. The discontent of Baghdad is unreasonable," he said.

The Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu visited Kirkuk province during a visit to the Kurdish autonomy, which is mainly home to the Iraqi Turkmen.

The visit of Davutoglu provoked a wave of discontent of the central government of Iraq, as Baghdad was not notified. In particular, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iraq issued a statement that this step of Turkey is regarded as intervention in the internal affairs of Iraq.

Earlier, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said that Turkey is becoming an enemy to all states in the region because of its attempts to "dominate it" and "interfering in the affairs of its neighbors."

In response, Erdogan said that Iraq must first sort out its internal affairs, and then blame the neighboring countries in hostility.

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