Gul Warns Barzani: Do not Provoke Events in Kerkuk

Gul warned Barzani not to ignite the situation in Kirkuk.

Gul conversed with reporters on the plane from Estonia to Latvia as he continued his Baltic swing yesterday. Gul emphasized that everyone recognizes how sensitive the issue of Kirkuk is to Turkey. He underlined that the identity of Kirkuk is not that of just one ethnic group, but instead it is a city that encompasses all identities, whether Sunni, Shiite, Turkish, Arab or Kurd.

One reporter asked the foreign minister about Turkey’s response to the demand of some terrorist groups that Turkey close its consulate in Kirkuk. "We ignore it," Gul declared.