Can Putin stop Erdogan from shutting down Iraqi Kurdish pipeline?
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Erdogan: Iraqi Kurds “invaders” in Kirkuk
Turkey, Iran and Iraq are deepening their coordination over the next steps in Iraqi Kurdistan, including decisions on whether to shut down Iraqi Kurdish oil exports via Turkey or to back the Iraqi government in taking control of Kirkuk.
Briefing reporters after a one-day trip to Iran on Oct. 5, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “If a decision is made on closing oil taps in the region, it will be made by us. Turkey, Iran and Iraq’s central government will do so together,” Amberin Zaman reported.
Zaman added that “Erdogan’s comments about the pipeline appeared to be mainly in response to remarks by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Russian leader declared at an energy forum in Moscow yesterday [Oct. 4] that Russia was following a policy of ‘non-interference’ in Iraqi Kurdistan and that it is not in anyone’s interest to halt the Kurdistan Region’s oil exports.”
