Also, in May 2014, Ankara agreed to provide transport facilities for oil exports from the Kurdistan region via the port at Ceyhan. The deal raised the ire of the Iraqi government in Baghdad, which considers the Kurdish-Turkish agreement illegal because it lacks federal government approval.
Ali Naji, a researcher in Turkish affairs, told Al-Monitor, “Despite the economic importance of the Gulen institutions to Kurdistan, the KRG's relationship with Ankara is more important on both the political and economic levels.” He said that the KRG believes the coordination of its positions with Ankara is vital and that the relationship will benefit the KDP by providing Erbil leverage against Baghdad.
Opposition parties, however, believe the move against the Gulenist schools does not serve the interests of the Kurdish people. Serwa Abdul Wahid, a member of parliament with the Movement for Change, told Al-Monitor that she is concerned about KDP policy and its effect on students in Gulenist schools and colleges, whose fate went into limbo immediately after their seizure.
Even now it remains unclear whether the change in administration will extend to the curriculum as well, potentially affecting some students' plans for their studies and future. “The KRG did not take clear action regarding the fate of students,” said Abdul Wahid. “It did not even think about them.”
Abdul Wahid accused the Barzani government of compromising the sovereignty of the region by making concessions to the Erdogan government. Abdul Wahid expects the KRG to defer to Turkish pressure and eventually sever its relations with all Gulenist-run health, media, banking and economic institutions, not just schools.
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