The publication of a postage stamp proposed by the Ministry of Communications in the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq on the occasion of Pope Francis’ visit last week angered Turkey and Iran because of a map of Kurdistan that shows areas belonging to the two countries.
A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Saeed Khatibzadeh, said that the proposed commemorative stamp “does not conform to international charters and principles,” adding that his country submitted a complaint to Iraq in this regard.
“What has been published by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Iraq, in general, is against international laws and principles,” Khatibzadeh said, noting that Iraq should immediately reverse “this unfriendly action.”
The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the proposed stamp showed a map that includes Turkish provinces and demanded that KRG officials “immediately reverse the grave mistake.”
“Some leaders of the administration of the Kurdish region in Iraq… have exploited the Pope’s visit as a means to expose their raw dreams targeting the territorial integrity of neighboring countries,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The KRG authorities shall remember how such insidious goals end up in vain,” it added.
The regional government announced that it would not adopt the proposed stamp.
“The draft postage bearing the map of Greater Kurdistan, which was published on the occasion of the visit of the Pope of the Vatican, Pope Francis, to Erbil, has not been approved yet,” said its spokesman, Jotiar Adel.
“Many artists submitted proposals for the stamps to the Ministry of Transportation and Communication. However, the Ministry approved none so far,” he clarified.
“KRG, from the point of view of respecting the Iraqi sovereignty, announces that those prototypes are just proposals,” Adel stated.
