Aydin Maruf Selim: Azerbaijan - cultural center and state of Turkic world

Azerbaijan is the cultural center and state of the Turkic world, Aydin Maruf Selim, Minister for Minority Affairs of the Kurdistan Regional Government, told Report.

According to him, all Turkic states, including the Republic of Türkiye, have never left the Iraqi Turkmen people alone:

"Turkmens play a major role in the relations between Iraq and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region with Türkiye and Azerbaijan since we are a part of the Turkish world. The Republic of Türkiye is our motherland. As Turks in Iraq, we have always seen the support of Türkiye. Azerbaijan, in turn, also supported the Turkmens. Most of the countries that have an embassy in Baghdad today have a consulate in Erbil. We hope Azerbaijan will open its Consulate General in Erbil as soon as possible. This is also our request, we set our heart on it. The opening of the embassy in Baghdad is an important event, and an even more important event is the opening of the consulate in Erbil. Also, the Azerbaijani Cultural Center should be opened in Erbil because Azerbaijan has good relations with all ethnic and religious groups living in this region. We always say that Azerbaijan is the cultural center and state of the Turkic world."