Maruf pointed out that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has welcomed nearly four million refugees, many of whom are Kurds, the MP claimed.

According to UNHCR, Turkey currently hosts an estimated 3.6 million Syrian refugees and 370,000 refugees from other countries.

According to NRT he further argued that Turkey has not only given aid to minorities in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, but has also partnered economically with both Baghdad and Erbil, which has been broadly beneficial.

As such, it was important for the KRG to have a good working relationship with Ankara, he said.

In the interview, Maruf said that the current situation for ethnic and religious minorities in the Kurdistan Region is positive and that they have a voice in the political process with secure rights.

“The ruling party supports our demands, so we have supported it,” he said, referencing the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

“We have never been part of the conflict between the ruling and opposition parties,” he added.

The eleven MPs who hold seats in the Kurdistan Parliament were criticized this spring for uniformly siding with the KDP in a vote to strip an opposition lawmaker of his parliamentary immunity.

Five seats in the Parliament are reserved for Turkmens, five for Assyrians, and one for an Armenian representative.

Reporter’s code: 50101