Turkish FM says relations with Kurds in near countries are not a threat

Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has said Turkey’s relations with Kurds living in neighboring countries are not a threat and added that taboos regarding ties with Kurds should be broken.

Davutoğlu’s comments came as he was on his way back to Turkey from a two-day-visit to Iraq on Monday after reporters asked him to comment on Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) leader Massoud Barzani’s upcoming visit to Turkey.

“There will be a very positive atmosphere [during Barzani’s time in Turkey]. These [visits] are part of normalization. It is also a reflection of self-confidence. We as Turkey would have been afraid in the past if Turkey’s Kurds and other Kurds had developed relations. One should not see bridges being built between Turkey and [other Kurds] as a threat. We should break these taboos,” Davutoğlu told reporters on the plane.