Turkey Expresses Concern Over Kurdish Movement to Kirkuk Amid Iraq's Nationwide Census

Peregraf

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has raised concerns about the movement of Kurds from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) to the disputed province of Kirkuk, as Iraq conducts its first nationwide census in decades. The ministry highlighted that this has caused unease among the Turkmen and Arab communities in the area.

“We are closely monitoring the reports of mass Kurdish movement from the KRI to Kirkuk during Iraq’s ongoing census,” said Oncu Keceli, spokesperson for Turkey’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Friday. The census, a months-long process that began its main registration phase on Wednesday, will conclude later this year. While it includes questions on various topics, it notably excludes data collection on ethnic backgrounds.

Despite the absence of ethnicity-related questions, Keceli noted, “The significant movement of populations has understandably raised concerns among Turkmen and Arab communities. This irregularity risks artificially inflating Kirkuk’s population with non-residents, potentially affecting the outcomes of future elections.”

In recent days, large numbers of Kurds have reportedly returned to Kirkuk, responding to calls from Kurdish officials. To facilitate their participation in the census, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) declared a week-long holiday for public employees wishing to travel to disputed areas, including Kirkuk and Nineveh.

Kirkuk, a historically multi-ethnic region, has seen decades of displacement and demographic shifts. Following the Kurdish independence referendum in 2017, Iraqi forces took control of Kirkuk, prompting many Kurds to flee the city. Earlier, under Saddam Hussein’s Arabization policies, thousands of Kurds and Turkmen were forcibly displaced, with their lands redistributed to Arab settlers.

The disputes over these territories remain unresolved, despite being addressed in Article 140 of the Iraqi Constitution, which outlines a process for their final status determination.

Turkey emphasized its historical ties with Iraq’s Turkmen community, who have faced systemic oppression and violence over the years. The Turkish Foreign Ministry urged Baghdad to prevent any further injustices.

“We expect Iraq to ensure that our Turkmen kin are not subjected to additional injustices stemming from the census-related developments,” said Keceli.