ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Sulaimani Governor Haval Abubakir said on Thursday that he has requested Turkey to remove a three-month flight ban it recently imposed on the province for an alleged increase in the activities of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) there.
On Monday, Turkey suspended all flights to and from Sulaimani province without providing a reason. The Turkish foreign ministry said on Wednesday that the decision is related to “the intensification of PKK terrorist organization's activities in Sulaymaniyah."
Abubakir said in a statement on Thursday that he had spoken with Turkish Consul General in Erbil Memet Mevlut Yakut, “officially informing him of Sulaimani province’s concerns” regarding the decision.”
“We assured him about the stability and security of Sulaimani province and the Sulaimani International Airport, and we also requested the resumption of flights,” he added.
The Turkish diplomat promised to convey the governor’s message to Ankara, according to Abubakir.
The Turkish foreign ministry said the ban is related to PKK’s “infiltration” into the airport, claiming that this poses a threat on flights.
The three-month ban is believed to be related to the crashing of two helicopters in Duhok province on March 15, which were carrying anti-terrorism forces affiliated to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to Sulaimani.
Turkey claims that the People’s Protection Units (YPG), backbone of the SDF, is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK and considers all terrorist organizations.
Ibrahim Kalin, Turkish presidential spokesperson, told the country’s state media on Wednesday that “the PKK has a very serious establishment in Sulaimani,” adding that Ankara will not disregard this.
He warned that there could be additional measures against the Kurdish province in the future.
"No matter where the PKK exists, we will never allow it to nest there and become a threat to our country," he said.
Sulaimani airport said in a statement on Thursday that a flight bound for Germany’s Dusseldorf was cancelled because the plane was supposed to go through Turkey but the ban prevented it.
Turkish officials have repeatedly accused Sulaimani authorities of supporting the PKK. Turkish forces often carry out aerial attacks in the province on the grounds of targeting the PKK.
Following the events of October 2017, international airspace to Erbil and Sulaimani airports was ordered closed by the Iraqi federal government. Turkey and most other countries opened their airspace to planes bound for Erbil in March 2018. However, Ankara refused to open its airspace to flights bound for Sulaimani, citing the ruling Patriotic Union of Kurdistan’s PUK alleged support for the PKK.
In 2017, Ankara expelled the PUK’s representative to Turkey after the PKK captured two Turkish intelligence agents in Sulaimani province.
