29 Mar 2024
Saturday 7 October 2017 - 15:37
Story Code : 278506

Erdogan's Iran visit sparks talk of Iraqi Kurdistan as 'new Israel'

Al-Monitor- Just four months after accusing Iran of Persian expansionism in the Middle East, Turkish President Recep TayyipErdoganvisited Tehranon Oct. 4 to discuss bilateral cooperation and an expansion of economic tieswith the country's highest officials. One of the issues that has recently broughtIran and Turkey closeris theKurdish independence referendumheld Sept. 25 in northern Iraq. The voteposes a challenge to both countries because of their own Kurdish populations.


While in Iran, Erdogan met with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, thecountry's highest authority. Speaking aboutthe Iraqi Kurdistan referendum, Khamenei said, In confronting this event, Iran and Turkey must takeeverypossible action, and Iraq's government must take serious actions on this issue.He called the referendum treason againstthe regionand a future threat with possible long-term consequences.

Echoing previous remarks byErdogan, Khamenei said that the Kurdistan referendum was in the first instanceto the benefit of Israel and in the secondto the United States. He further statedthat foreign powers, in particularIsrael, wantto divert Iran and Turkey's attentionfrom important regional issues and asserted that the Kurdistan referendum would create a new Israel.The reference to a new Israel made headlines in a number of media outlets, includingcoveragebyJavan, a newspaper linked tothe Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

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