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Iraqi Kurds Criticize Growing Turkish Influence

The KRG’s drive for autonomy and stability via Turkey is revealing the gaps between Kurdish economic and political aims and between KRG elites and local populations.
Turkish President Abdullah Gul (L) and Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani shake hands before their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara April 20, 2012. REUTERS/Presidential Palace/Murat Cetinmuhurdar/Handout (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR30ZAR

The ties that now bind the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Ankara are a welcome reprieve after decades of tension that destabilized the region and stunted economic growth. Alongside generous revenues from Baghdad and KRG pragmatism, Turkey has been a catalyst in rebuilding the Kurdistan Region of Iraq to a level unimagined just five years ago. Economic development has led to political cooperation and mutual commitments to regional security.

Yet, as the Kurdistan Region moves deeper into Ankara’s orbit and away from Baghdad, particularly in developing its energy sector, some Kurdish populations worry that the KRG is substituting one form of dependency for another. These concerns are emerging alongside uneven economic development in the region and proxy wars in Syria. They are also feeding criticism of KRG policies, intra-Kurdish party struggles and nationalist sentiments within the Kurdistan Region and across its borders.

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