Iraqi Parliament to Discuss Blockade on SIA

Kurdistan 11:58 AM - 2024-07-23

Sulaymaniyah International Airport.

The Iraqi Parliament is going to discuss the issue of the blockade imposed on Sulaymaniyah International Airport (SIA) and the invasion of the Kurdistan Region in its upcoming sessions according a parliament member who labeled the issue as a breach of Iraq's sovereignty.

Blockade in SIA is a violation of Iraqi sovereignty

 

Faten al-Qarghouli, a member of the Iraqi Parliament's Transportation and Communications Committee, told Al-Sabah Newspaper that they recently visited the SIA and held discussions with the Iraqi Prime Ministers over the airport's blockade.

"The imposition of a blockade on Sulaymaniyah airport by Türkiye constitutes a breach of Iraqi sovereignty," she stated, further noting that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani has called for a diplomatic resolution to the issue.

Iraqi Parliament will debate the Türkiye's breach of Kurdistan Region's borders 

Meanwhile, Mohammed al-Shammari, a member of the Iraqi Parliament's Security & Defence Committee, told Al-Sabah Newspaper that the parliament will discuss over the Turkish invasion of several areas in the Duhok province in upcoming sessions. 

He also stated that the Security and Defence Committee of the Iraqi Parliament will take a stance on this matter at the start of the new legislative season.

The Transportation and Communications Committee of the Iraqi Parliament visited the SIA in response to a request from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) Faction to see the facts behind the Turkish pressure and sanctions on the airport. On Sunday, July 21, 2024, the committee issued a statement urging Iraq's parliament and government to remove the sanctions imposed on Sulaymaniyah airport as soon as possible and effectively.

PUK MP: Only PUK Works to Solve SIA's Issue

Karwan Yarwais, a member of the PUK faction in Iraq's parliament, told PUKMEDIA that only the PUK, through its members in the government, parliament, and party, has advocated for the opening of Turkish airspace to SIA flights. The other parties have chosen to remain silent."

Yarwaris urged other Kurdish factions to regard this concern as a matter of public interest and strive to resolve this issue through dialogue and diplomatic means.

The SIA has lost around $10 million in the previous 14 months as a result of suspending 35% of its flights because they fly over Türkiye. In contrast, its international flights have been trouble-free.



PUKMEDIA