Sadettin Ergec, chairman of the Iraqi Turkmen Front, visited Türkiye in May 2006 seeking moral support for Turkmens living under difficult conditions in Iraq.
Ergec told the Anadolu Agency that recent Iraqi election results should not be taken at face value, saying they do not accurately represent the country's actual demographics or political realities.
He expressed particular concern about Kirkuk, the oil-rich northern city, where he said a large Kurdish population had been resettled after 2003 in order to sway the outcome of a referendum planned for late 2007. The ITF has called for all Iraqis, not only Kirkuk residents, to participate in that vote.
Ergec also noted that relations between Iraqi Turkmens and Türkiye had cooled following the Turkish parliament's rejection of a motion that would have allowed US forces to use Turkish territory as a staging ground before the Iraq war. He urged Türkiye to take a more active role going forward, and stressed that Iraq's neighboring countries have a significant responsibility in resolving the crisis, since regional instability could easily spill across borders.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in May 2006, in its own words.