Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Iraq’s Kirkuk province has formally joined the Union of Turkish World Municipalities, Turkiye’s ruling Justice and Development Party Deputy Chair Kursad Zorlu announced.

Zorlu stated that Kirkuk Governor Mohammed Seman Agha joined the organization during a Friday meeting in Karaman, Turkiye. Calling Kirkuk a “Turkmen homeland,” he said its admission sent a message to Turkish municipalities that had withdrawn from the union for political reasons, adding that the organization had endured years of obstacles.

The union brings together municipalities and local administrations from Turkiye and other countries and regions with Turkic ties, focusing on the exchange of expertise and the implementation of joint projects among its members.

Kirkuk is one of Iraq’s most ethnically and politically contested provinces. With nearly 1.9 million residents recorded in the 2024 census, its population includes Kurdish, Turkmen, Arab, Chaldean, Assyrian, and other communities.

Kurdish parties regard the province as part of the Kurdistan Region and seek implementation of Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution, which mandates normalization, a census, and a referendum on the status of Kirkuk and other disputed territories. Turkmen groups view the city as a historic center of their community, while Arab parties oppose its incorporation into the Region.

Read more: Discover Iraq: Kirkuk, a city of oil, culture, and conflict