Turkish enters list of official languages in Iraq’s Kirkuk

KIRKUK

Following an announcement on using Turkish as one of the official languages in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, which hosts a large number of Turkmen populations, signs containing Turkish expressions have started to be displayed all around the city.

The governor’s office of the Iraqi city sent a directive to relevant institutions instructing the inclusion of Turkish in official correspondences, signage and traffic signs within the city.

According to the office’s directive, Turkish will also be featured on the letterheads and seals of official institutions.

As per reports in the local media, the decision to recognize Turkish as the official language, which was originally passed in 2008, came into effect last week by Kirkuk Governor Rekan al-Jabouri.

According to the Iraqi Constitution, Arabic and Kurdish are the two official languages of Iraq, while Turkish and Syria are other official languages in areas where they constitute a density of population.

Turkmen are the country’s third largest ethnic group after Arabs and Kurds.

Mervan al-Ani, the media and communications representative of the governor’s office, stated that Turkish inscriptions have been added to signs in 250 offices in Kirkuk, alongside Arabic, Kurdish and Syriac.

"Turkish will be used as the primary language in the city. With Governor Rakan al-Janouri’s decision, different languages are being used concurrently in Kirkuk. Everyone should coexist in unity, and it is the legal right of everyone to learn their own language," al-Ani said.