SULAYMANIYAH, Kurdistan-Iraq, --
As they try to secure their hold on a semi-independent slice of Iraq
and rebuild its economy, Kurdish leaders have turned in a surprising
direction — toward Turkey.
For much of the past century, Turks and Kurds have been bitter
enemies. Starting in the 1930s, Turkey banned the language of its
Kurdish minority and violently suppressed Kurdish independence
movements on its soil.
In recent weeks, Turkish security forces and Kurdish protesters
clashed in riots that claimed more than a dozen lives. Across the
border, the Turkish government has opposed Kurdish moves toward
self-rule in Iraq's three northern provinces. And Turkish leaders
have accused the Kurds of harboring militant groups that attack
civilians and military targets in Turkey.
But today, Kurdish leaders are seeking investment from Turkish
companies. To date, 314 Turkish companies have signed contracts for
projects valued at more than $1 billion, officials of Iraqi
Kurdistan have said.
Visitors to Kurdistan, as the traditional lands of the Kurds is
called, can fly into one of two airports built by companies based in
Turkey, drive Turkish-built roads and see Turkish-built housing and
university buildings.
"Turkish companies are everywhere in Kurdistan and doing
everything," said Ilnur Cevik, a Turkish businessman whose Cevik Ler
company claims more than $100 million in Kurdish government
construction contracts.
"Soon my company will be generating electricity in collaboration
with the Kurdistan government," he said.
The influx of Turkish companies is part of a policy to thaw
relations with its wary neighbor, Kurdish officials say.
The investment also carries benefits, economic and political, for
Turkey. Before the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Turkish
officials complained that United Nations sanctions on Iraq had cost
Turkey $60 billion in lost revenue.
In Iraqi Kurdistan, some Turkish leaders see a chance to renew a
large nearby market, which could strengthen their own nation's
economy.
"Northern Iraq is an especially lucrative market because it is the
most stable part of Iraq and because it borders Turkey," said
Turkish legislator Reha Denemec, a member of the ruling Justice and
Development Party.
"Turkish companies are lining up to do business there, especially in
construction. So much Turkish cement is going there that this has
driven up cement prices in Turkey."
Kurdistan is inviting Turkish companies out of necessity. Many
Western companies shy away from the region because of violence and
political interference with contracts.
Regionally based companies, with more knowledge of Kurdistan and its
influential people, are better able to exploit opportunities here
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