Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the Iraqi city of Kirkuk cannot and should not be consigned to an ethnic element.

Prime Minister Erdogan met with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Ayad al-Samarraie as part of his visit to Baghdad.

Extending Turkey's full support to Iraq as a neighboring country, Prime Minister Erdogan said, "I think that Kirkuk should have a special status. It should belong to all Iraqi people. Kirkuk cannot and should not be consigned to an ethnic element. Otherwise, it will become a source of trouble for whole Iraq. We wish that the upcoming elections will pave the way for a democratic atmosphere in which all ethnic elements will intermingle with each other. Everybody should respect to territorial integrity of this country."

Prime Minister Erdogan also added that they were planning to open a Turkish consulate general in the city of Irbil.



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