ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani discussed the ongoing Turkish flight ban on the Sulaimani International Airport with the city’s governor on Tuesday. The Kurdistan Region’s president arrived in Sulaimani on Tuesday, the latest destination in the series of visits to the Region’s provinces ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 20. Sulaimani Governor Haval Abubakir told journalists following the meeting that he requested President Barzani’s help to resolve the issue of the ongoing “embargo” on the city’s airport. “We requested from his Excellency … [to help in] lifting the embargo on the Sulaimani Airport, and to develop the Sulaimani International Airport to be able to fulfill its duties,” Abubakir said. Turkey imposed a ban on the airport in April 2023, then-Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson Tanju Bilgic said that the flight ban was in response to an alleged “intensification” of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) activities in Sulaimani province, referring to the crash of two helicopters carrying Syrian Kurdish fighters a month prior. Nine members of the anti-terrorism forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were killed in the crash, including their commander, according to the SDF. The helicopters were bound for Sulaimani. Turkish officials have repeatedly accused Sulaimani authorities of supporting the PKK and the flight ban is not the first time Ankara has taken punitive measures against the province. Officials in Sulaimani deny Ankara’s claims. Abubakir also said he requested President Barzani to “hold discussion with the state of Turkey, because the recent bombardments have inflicted damages on citizens.” “We asked for the existence of talks that will resolve the security, military, and political aspects of these situations,” he said. Turkey began intensifying its decades-long war against the PKK, especially in Duhok province, in mid-June after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly said he would launch a new offensive during the summer. Ankara has deployed hundreds of troops to the province. Turkish drones also targeted alleged PKK members in Sulaimani province, throughout the summer.
