CHP’s Özçelik suggests canton for Iraqi Turkmens

Okan Konuralp ANTALYA

A deputy chair of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) has suggested that a canton model using self-rule administration, such as in the Kurdish populated northern Syria, could also be applied for Turkmens living in Iraq.

“Both in Iraq and Syria, administrative structures should be formed upon decisions of the people living in those countries and within the territorial integrity of those countries,” CHP Deputy Chair Murat Özçelik was quoted as telling deputies at a closed-door gathering over the weekend.

“Given that Kurds are emphasizing the ‘canton model’ in Syria as a resolution, why shouldn’t this canton resolution be possible for Turkmens in Iraq, too? The CHP should assume a serious role in defending the rights of Turkmens in Iraq too,” Özçelik also reportedly said.