KurdistanObserver.com

Kurdistan Region Seal On Passports Ratified

By Mustafa Gun, Istanbul
February 26, 2006
Zaman (Turkish)

The Interior Ministry has begun to permit the entrance of passports with the Kurdistan Region seal.

The ministry, issuing a circular order on the subject, announced that the people coming from Bagdat (Baghdad), Erbil and Amman and having passports with the Kurdistan Region seal is permitted to enter Turkey. However, those with “Kurdistan” printed as the place of birth are to be prevented entry. Air transport issues between Turkey and the Kurdistan Region also came up when Fly Airlines launched flights to Erbil and Sulaimani.

The passengers from Erbil and Amman undergo a serious security checked at Ataturk Airport. The Ataturk Airport Security Directorate officials reported the people of Iraq origin having obtained third country citizenship are not allowed to enter Turkey and the Kurdistan print in their passports are handled within the circular order of the ministry. The officials said Turkey does not recognize Kurdistan and the same acts are executed if Turkish citizens have the same Kurdistan expression. The officials said the implementation is for Baghdad, Erbil and Amman flights due to the stop of Sulaimani flights. Fly Air launched flights to Erbil in Northern Iraq on December 6 and to Sulaimani on December 15 in 2005.

The passengers are required to get a visa from Baghdad for the Sulaimani flights not secured by the US. The passengers boarding without a visa will be expelled. Due to the difficulties in flights and the continuous fall in the number of passengers, Sulaimani flights were stopped on January 7. But, Fly Air has flights to Erbil currently. The passengers coming from Erbil to Turkey can enter Turkey only with a visa.