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Saudi, Iranian foreign ministers to meet to pave way to re-open embassies
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and his Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, have agreed to meet soon and pave the way for the re-opening of embassies under a deal to re-establish ties, Saudi state news agency SPA said on Thursday.
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Bafel Talabani calls for reorganization of Erbil-Baghdad ties
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) President, Bafel Talabani, met with the head of al-Azm alliance, Muthana al-Samarai in Baghdad last week, according to a statement.
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US State Department report lashes out at Iraqi Kurdish leaders
The US State Department has accused the leaders of the two ruling parties in the Kurdistan Region of influencing the judicial system, suppressing opponents and critics, and forming separate security and military institutions to protect their interests.
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Turkish jets hit PKK positions in Kurdistan Region
Turkish warplanes bombed the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) positions north of the governorate on Friday.
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Iraqi Kurdistan’s house of cards is collapsing
The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.
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America’s language problem in the Middle East signals a bigger quandary / Dov S.Zakheim
Iraqi Kurds celebrate Nowruz, a Persian New Year, in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, Monday, March 20, 2023. The Kurdish in Iraq region won de facto self-rule in 1991 when the United States imposed a no-fly zone over it in response to Saddam’s brutal repression of Kurdish uprisings. The Kurds were seen as staunch allies of the Americans. But in 2023, some in the Middle East believe the region is no longer that important to Washington policymakers.
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Meet Kemal Kilicdaroglu, Turkey’s long-derided opposition head who could dethrone Erdogan
The leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party, who will face off against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in presidential elections May 14, is a far more complex figure than meets the eye.
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Recent Erbil -Baghdad deal part of regional shifts between Saudi Arabia and Iran
The recent agreement between the governments of Baghdad and Erbil to pay the salaries of Kurdistan Region employees is part of a deal approved by the Coordination Framework (CF) in a side reflection of the settlement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, political sources told Asharq Awasat Newspaper.
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Syrian military clashes with rebels, IS kills 15
The two incidents demonstrated the continued dangers of the Syrian civil war, even as the conflict has wound down somewhat.
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Iran and Iraq sign deal to tighten border security
Tehran and Baghdad signed a border security agreement, a move Iraqi officials said aimed primarily at tightening the frontier with Iraq’s Kurdish region, where Tehran says armed Kurdish dissidents pose a threat to its security.
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Kurdish party gives tacit backing to Erdogan’s rival in election
Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party said Wednesday it would not field a presidential candidate in May elections, giving tacit support to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s secular rival, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, in the crucial vote, Agence France-Presse reported.
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Criticism of disaster response rises as floods hit Turkey’s quake-ravaged southeast / Andrew Wilks
Floods have brought more misery to southeast Turkey, sweeping away tents and container shelters housing the survivors of February’s earthquake. The floodwaters also brought further criticism of the government’s disaster preparation and response.
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Putin praises Assad ties at talks with Turkey mend brewing
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday was hosting Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad for talks as the Kremlin seeks to mend ties between Damascus and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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HDP to back main Erdogan rival at polls
Turkey’s largest non-aligned political party is planning to throw its weight behind an opposition alliance trying to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in elections in May, intensifying what’s become one of the biggest tests of his two decades in power.
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Iraqi PM holds constructive discussions in Erbil
The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, mentioned via Twitter that he held constructive discussions in Erbil with the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the President of the Kurdistan region and the Prime Minister of Kurdistan.
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Iraqi PM visits Kurdistan region to ease fraught Baghdad-Erbil tensions
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani made his first visit to Iraqi Kurdistan on Tuesday, saying the regional government has shown real will and cooperation to resolve all disputed issues.
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Kurdish party Huda Par declares support for Erdogan's presidential bid
The leader of the Kurdish Islamist Free Cause Party (Huda-Par) in Turkey declared on Saturday that it will support President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's candidacy in the presidential election scheduled to be held on 14 May. Huda-Par's chairman, Zekeriya Yapicioglu, made the announcement at a press conference following a meeting of the party's executive board.
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Why Bashar al-Assad does not trust Erdogan / Turkmen Terzi
Despite persistent attempts by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president has repeatedly ignored invitations to meet with him.
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Masoud Barzani calls for implementing Sinjar agreement
Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani on Saturday called for the full implementation of the Sinjar Agreement and the removal of non-compliant forces from the district.
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Bahceli deems Constitutional Court 'backyard of terrorist organization'
Turkey government-ally and far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli on March 11 targeted Turkey’s Constitutional Court (AYM) over its ruling to lift the decision to freeze pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party's (HDP) bank accounts.
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Turkey, Syria, Iran to hold 'technical talks' in Russia next week / Ezgi Akin
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Wednesday that Ankara and Damascus would hold low-level talks next week in a bid to continue political dialogue between the Turkish and Syrian governments.
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US reiterates on reforms in Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga Ministry
The US Department of Defense stated that one of the main topics in the talks between the US Secretary of Defense and the President of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was to emphasize on continuing the reform process in the armed forces of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
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A decade into Kurdish autonomous rule, what changed for northeast Syria's women?
Um Jamil describes herself as a fighter — not one that carries a weapon, but a determined spirit who struggled for the past 10 years to achieve her independence.
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Iran renews its support for quake-hit Turkey
Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hossein Amirabdollahian has renewed Iran’s support for people affected by two major earthquakes in Turkey last month.
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KDP, PUK meet to resolve election disagreements
The election committees of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) kicked off a crucial meeting on Wednesday in a bid to settle disagreements revolving around the Kurdistan region's election and referendum commission.
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Turkey's opposition unsure on embracing pro-Kurdish party
A call by Turkey's pro-Kurdish party for talks with an opposition alliance on supporting its joint candidate has caused unease among some nationalist elements of the union.
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Syrian government forces and Turkey-backed armed groups have diverted earthquake aid - Amnesty International
The Syrian government and Turkey-backed armed opposition groups have obstructed and diverted humanitarian earthquake aid in conflict-torn Aleppo, Amnesty International said, one month on since the devastating earthquakes.
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Turkey opposition bloc nominates Kilicdaroglu as its joint presidential candidate
A bloc of six Turkish opposition parties has nominated Kemal Kilicdaroglu, 74, leader of the country’s main opposition party, as its joint presidential candidate after a last-minute political crisis was resolved.
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Turkey summons US ambassador over top general's Syria visit
Turkey's government summoned US Ambassador Jeff Flake on Monday over top US general Mark Milley's visit to northeast Syria over the weekend, the country's state-run Anadolu News Agency reported.
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Turkey match trouble leads to HDP protest
Turkish police arrested seven people after violence erupted at a soccer match in the city of Bursa against a team from the mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir, authorities said, and a pro-Kurdish party said officials should resign over the "open racism" at the game.