MESOP : CLOSE COMRADES IN ARMS ? / Turkish Minister of National Defence: We Can Train Peshmarga Fighters

RUDAW – Ismet Yilmaz, the Minister of National Defence of Turkey, said that the Turkish army was ready to train the Kurdish Peshmarga. According to a report by the Turkish Milliyet newspaper, in answering the questions of the reporters Yilmaz stated, “Regarding giving military training to the Peshmarga, we have not received such a request yet, but we will evaluate it once the request is made.”

Yilmaz added, “The strongest ties of Turkey in this region are with the government of northern Iraq.” Yilmaz stated that Kurdistan Region could open up to the world through Turkey, “The government of northern Iraq at the moment is serving as a good buffer zone to Turkey. It is clear that not only the southeast of Turkey, but also north of Iraq sees its future with Turkey. I saw it in the newspapers, there were voices calling for joining Turkey, so their future is with Turkey,” said Yilmaz. The Turkish media claimed that during his last visit to Turkey, the President of Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, had asked the Turkish armed forces to give military training to the Peshmarga fighters. – See more at: http://old.rudaw.net/news/Live-Blog/#sthash.AaP84F8i.Znh3RHwS.dpuf