Turkish newspaper The New Anatolian wrote the 18th September about the difficulties what Turkish companies have in South Kurdistan as the tension between Turkey and the Kurdish Regional Government increases. According to the newspaper Turkish companies do not have difficulties with the government officials of Nechirvan Barzani but the lower echelons of the Kurdish bureaucracy put up meaningless obstacles for them.
Turkish businessmen should target their complains to their own government and demand it to find a political solution to the Kurdish question. This would benefit them much more than blaming local Kurdish administration.
The New Anatolian represents the Turkish perspective. Kurdish news agency Peyamner had Kurdish view when it quoted Eurasia Daily Monitor the 15th September. According to its analysis the situation of Turkish businessmen has become more difficult because the Turkish government refuses to engage politically with the Kurdish leadership. During the last six months around ten countries have opened a consulate in Hewler but the sole Turkish diplomat operates from a hotel room.
The problems of Turkish companies with Kurdish administration on the local level would be solved if there would be better cooperation on the higher political level. For example Turkish oil company Petoil could export oil if Turkey would sign an agreement about the use of the Kirkuk-Yumutarlik oil pipeline. But according to Eurasia Daily Monitor Turkey does not want to do it because it fears that it would be a de facto recognition of the Kurdish political entity in North Iraq.
There are tens of thousands of Turkish soldiers on the boarder ready to occupy Kirkuk. How Turkish people can expect to be treated friendly in Kurdistan when their army threatens Kurdish political leaders? I give again an example from my country Finland. More than sixty years ago there was a war between Finland and Soviet Union, which is nowadays Russia. This war still affects the public opinion in Finland. People do not have a warm attitude towards Russia. Finland buys oil and gas from Russia, and Finnish construction companies build houses in Russia. But it is not many Russian companies which operate in Finland. No one would buy their products.
Good economical cooperation is based on other good relationships. Turkish companies made a good start in South Kurdistan when the UN sanctions ended. Now they are losing their positions because of the aggressive opinions of the Turkish government and army. The base of the economical structure in the Kurdish autonomous area is designed now for the coming decades. Due to the UN sanctions there was absence of normal infrastructure, many things are being built almost from point zero. If the Turkish companies leave now South Kurdistan companies from other countries take their place. They invest for the future and make later good profits.
Kurdistan will be a rich country when Kirkuk will join the Kurdish area. If Turkish companies lose now their positions in South Kurdistan they will not be able to get them back in the future.
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