KIRKUK, Iraq 

The governor of Iraq’s Kirkuk province wants Turkey to open a representative office in the region with a view to supporting local development.

Governor Rakan Saeed al-Jabouri told Anadolu Agency on Friday that he would welcome a “strong Turkish presence” in the province, where Turkmen, Arabs and Kurds have historically coexisted in peace.

“Kirkuk needs development in all fields,” al-Jabouri said, stressing the importance of Turkish investment in particular.

“We would also welcome a Turkish representative office in Kirkuk,” he said, emphasizing the need to “build bridges” between the region and Turkish investors.

Noting that Turkey was the most developed country in the region, al-Jabouri added: “Turkey is an important country for us and one of our closest neighbors.”

“We should follow a Turkish model for reconstruction and development in Iraq, especially in Kirkuk, which for years has been devastated by conflict,” he said.

“We need Turkish know-how to build hospitals, schools and universities,” he added.

Fatih Yildiz, Turkey’s ambassador to Iraq, told Anadolu Agency last month that an official request had already been lodged to open a consulate-general in Kirkuk. 

According to Yildiz, a Turkish visa application center will open in the city before the planned consulate-general opens its doors.

In late 2017, Iraqi federal forces moved into several parts of the country “disputed” between Baghdad and northern Iraq’s Kurdish region, including Kirkuk.

As federal forces moved into Kirkuk, Peshmerga fighters loyal to the Erbil-based Kurdish Regional Government -- who had seized control of Kirkuk in 2014 -- withdrew from the city amid limited clashes.

Reporting by Ali Mukarrem Garip:Writing by Handan Kazanci