Shafaq News- Erbil

The Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations on Sunday denied remarks attributed to its head, Safeen Dizayee, regarding tree cutting along the border with Turkiye, calling the circulated comments “completely fabricated.”

In a statement, the department said some websites and social media platforms had circulated a claim in recent days alleging that Dizayee said the tree cutting was taking place with the KRG’s knowledge.

“All statements attributed to the head of the department are baseless and completely fabricated,” it said, adding that Dizayee had made no such remarks.

The department recalled comments Dizayee made to Voice of America’s Kurdish service on June 7, 2021, in which he described tree cutting in border areas as “illegal and unacceptable” and contrary to diplomatic norms and good-neighborly relations.

“We expressed our protest to the Turkish side through several private and official channels,” Dizayee said at the time.

The department urged media outlets and social media platforms to exercise greater accuracy and avoid spreading material that could “distort facts and create mistrust in society.”