Turkey has carefully avoided saying anything publicly against independence for the Kurdistan Region that could offend Barzani, who has become essentially the sole ally of an increasingly isolated Turkey. This is not only a foreign policy issue. The solution process with the Turkish Kurds, an important factor in the upcoming presidential elections, made it imperative not to say anything that could upset them. Despite all this, there is no valid reason for Turkey to have sympathy for and forget its long-standing opposition to an independent Kurdish state inside Iraq. By not favoring an independent Kurdish state, Turkey — read: Erdogan — is not deviating from the thinking of US President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
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