Dave Anderson calls for debate on Turkey’s vote

London, UK (KRG.org) – Mr Dave Anderson, the UK Member of Parliament for Blaydon, today in the House of Commons expressed his deep concern about Turkey’s recent vote authorising a military incursion into the Kurdistan Region in Iraq.

The Labour MP called for a debate on the current situation in Kurdistan by tabling an Early day motion (EDM). He asked fellow MPs to back his motion that the House of Commons “deplores Turkish shelling of villages inside the Kurdistan Region in Iraq on the Iraq-Turkey border…is deeply concerned that a Turkish incursion could jeopordise the economy of the Kurdistan Region, the most secure and prosperous part of Iraq where Turkish trade and investment has been instrumental to economic growth”.

Mr Anderson also noted that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) seeks no conflict with Turkey and considers friendly relations with Turkey its top priority. He said he believed that problems and disagreements should be solved through diplomacy and dialogue based on the principle of non-interference in the affairs of others, rather than threats of military force.

The MP for Blaydon stressed that he deplored recent terrorist attacks in Turkey and supported mediation with Iraq to find a comprehensive political solution. He hoped that other UK MPs would sign his motion over the next few days to indicate that they share his concerns about a possible Turkish incursion.

Mr Anderson is a member of Labour Friends of Iraq, which supports democracy and labour rights for all Iraqis. In 2006 he led a Labour Friends of Iraq fact-finding mission to the Kurdistan Region, where he met many Kurdish and Iraqi trade unionists.