Those who are unable to digest Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Masoud Barzani foolishly falling prey to his game, the Iraqi army also advancing north overlapping with Turkey’s theories, taking back the regions invaded by Barzani, Turkey entering Idlib, the terrorist corridor project spanning the Mediterranean and the Iranian border, are now poisoning the public with the “Iran won, Turkey lost” discourse.

Those who are unable to resist Turkey’s determined stance, those who are unable to openly oppose, those who are the secret supporters of that multinational plot are the ones running this campaign. Pay attention to them. Pay attention to the Barzani intelligence, to the Democratic Union Party (PYD) cryptos. Because those circles are where this discourse and campaign originated from; this is a new kind of opposition language and it aims to blind Turkey.

The plan to excite with Kurdism, frighten with Shiism

They were the ones who used ethnic nationalism until now. Today, by bringing forward Shiism, they are continuing the same game through sectarianism. They are using both the ethnic and sectarian identities for those multinational plans. They hide the true intention and, when necessary, they push forward the Kurdism excitement, when necessary, they market fear of Shiism.

The terror corridor mind is behind this discourse. There is a will aimed at drowning the entire region in ethnic and sectarian clashes. There are Western invasion projects shredding the region into pieces, turning our cities into ruins, pitting our people against each other.

Just as the local pursuits hiding under those big projects threaten all countries, the region, the discourse promoted through the media and political figures are just as threatening. Hence, this separatism, this polarization based on language, ethnic and sectarian identity is, carried out completely parallel with the invasion projects.

Those who caused a great stir when Barzani lost, saying, “Turkey lost,” are the secret advocates of these invasion projects.

Was it the Turkish flag that was up in Erbil and not Israeli flag?

They are saying, Iran came, the Hashd al-Shaabi came. So what, was Barzani the one protecting Tukey from the Iranian threat? Was Barzani the one protecting against the Shiite threat? Is Barzani or the PYD the one to decide whether there is a threat or not? Are they the ones providing the security of our borders? Was it the Turkish flag that was up in the streets of Erbil post-referendum and not the Israeli flag?

Since when have they been the ones to ensure Turkey’s security, protect the country’s integrity and identify outside threats? Since when have they been defending Turkey? Since when have they been on the Iranian front? In other words, was Barzani the one protecting Turkey until now? He couldn’t protect himself; he lost everything in a couple of hours. Wasn’t Turkey the one that protected him until now? Can you not see the state he has fallen into the moment Turkey cut ties?

Who is the one sieging Turkey with the US and Israel?

What are you trying to say? Who are the ones surrounding Turkey from the north of both Syria and Iraq? Who are the ones working with the U.S. and Israel for the corridor that will besiege Turkey? Who are the ones publishing maps of a divided Turkey? Who are the ones promoting all this through the discourse of ethnic nationalism?

What did they think was going to happen? Turkey would watch it all, ignore the weapons directed at it, say nothing to those preparing for war at the zero point of its border and wait for the “Tukey front” to be opened after Iraq and Syria are divided, is that so? Is there any state in this world that would do such a thing? Is there any nation so tolerant? Is there any country that would neglect its defense to this degree? Is there anyone that would remain silent while some call the Western armies to help, to invade?

Since you are unable to openly defend the PYD, you are trying to make Turkey pay the price for Barzani’s defeat and now you are poisoning the public with the “Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi against the Sunni Barzani” theory. You are carrying on a dirty propaganda and provoking the Turkish public against Iran. Let it be known by all, this country will not fall for this game.

This is a great showdown: It has nothing to do with ethnic identity!

Let’s be frank:

The northern Iraqi referendum, followed by the Iraqi army taking action toward the Turkish border, ending Kirkuk’s occupation, taking control over Sinjar, Barzani units withdrawing toward Erbil, the Hashd al-Shaabi taking action with the Iraqi army, Daesh making room for the U.S.’s invasion, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)-affiliated PYD invading northern Syria, Barzani rising to the U.S. and Israel’s bait...

None of this has anything to do with ethnic identity, sectarian identity. This is simply how they are marketing it to us. They are promoting wars to some of us through ethnic nationalism, some through Sunnism and some through Shiism. We are being restricted to a point of view, limited to ethnic and sectarian identity and that is where we fall into the trap, that is where we lose.

This is a great game of states. It is a showdown of powers, map wars...

If you are on the invading side, you are an enemy: This is the real point of disintegration

The gravest post-World War I invasion projects are being implemented. Countries are under threat, attacks targeting the entire region are coming in waves. In this great showdown, some are taking place alongside the invaders, while some are resisting it. This is the real point of disintegration.

Whatever your reason, whether your discourse is ethnic nationalism of sectarianism, if you are in that line, then you are an enemy of the region, you are one of those invaders, you are an outside threat. If you are standing against Western invasion, regional division, war and disintegration of the region, you are a local of the region. In such a state, nobody pays attention – nobody should pay attention – to your ethnic identity, your sectarian identity.

We are a nation that has faced all Western armies through the World War. We are a nation that paid a price in four continents. We are a nation that has provided the continuity of a nation in Anatolia since the Seljuks, that has ensured the chain of states, that has assumed a history-making role. This is a political culture, an experience. Nations that have found the ways to get through the most difficult times in history, will not get stuck in these small, narrow straits, they will not surrender there. They will know what the danger is, where it comes from and how to take decisions in difficult times.

Secretly defend the PKK/PYD, declare Turkmens as the enemy

Now, at another sharp turn in history, as Turkey, we will not and cannot take action based on ethnic theories, problematic sectarian polarization in the strict sense. Those telling us “Barzani is Sunni,” support him, have no right to say anything after they abused this support themselves.

We have not yet lost our minds to believe those who say nothing to the PKK and PYD, which have no religion, no sectarian identity and yet, declare the Shiite Turkmens in Iraq as “the enemy.” While they are marching in Kirkuk with Turkish flags, those running this campaign are building up U.S. and Israel weapons, soldiers along our border.

We cannot view these incidents with the Turkish-Kurdish, Shiite-Sunni identity. As we determine a resistance against the threats, the attacks targeting the region and us, we give priority to a greater power showdown, a greater historic showdown. We give prominence to our historic responsibilities, our history-making role.

Barzani is a small walk-on

Barzani facing defeat in one day, losing most of what he possessed, being abandoned by the U.S. and Israel which had provoked him and his disintegration with the Talabani circle also have nothing to do with ethnic identity.

As a small walk-in, he tried to take place in big games, take a role in the game of states, opportunistically looked to conjuncture plans, disregarding his friends’ warnings, and lost.

He was unable to grasp the gravity and severity of it all; he thought he could overcome everything with the nationalist discourse. The U.S. and Israel, which provoked him, also used the very same ethnic nationalist discourse. They tried to form a foreign region, a zone of garrisons in the north of both Iraq and Syria.

Use sectarianism where ethnic nationalism fails to suffice!

It cultivated the PKK with this objective, it carried the PYD everywhere with this objective, it tried to sever northern Iraq from Baghdad with this objective. The most convenient discourse for all this was Kurdish nationalism and hence, it threatened the entire region through Kurdish nationalism.

The same U.S., the powers that attempted to redesign the region, used the sectarian identity in situations ethnic nationalism did not suffice and, founded Daesh with this objective. It formed a coordination through the PKK/PYD and Daesh from the Mediterranean to the Iranian border; it used two organizations that complement one another against all countries in the region and turned them into a weapon to divide Syria and Iraq.

The ‘Turkey Shield’ is a serious project

The matter is clear: Foreign armies are settling in the north of both Iraq and Syria, a garrison zone is being formed. Turkey, Iran and Iraq are all facing the same threat. Hence, the three countries have come close and, for the first time, presented a serious attitude. This is a historic step.

What Turkey needs to do is obvious. It should continue the project it launched with the Euphrates Shield and Idlib operations and intervene in a couple more regions to eliminate the threat in northern Syria. In cooperation with Iraq, it should take control over the region stretching out from Mosul/Kirkuk to the Turkish border and restrict the area of movement of foreign forces. Turkey should build a “Turkey Shield” from the Mediterranean all the way to the Iranian border.

Turkey is taking strong steps for the first time since the 1991 Gulf war, it is nationalizing its security strategy for the first time. The issue is not a Turk-Kurd matter, it is a geopolitical matter and steps must be taken accordingly. And no power, no outcry, no emotional manipulation should be allowed to weaken Turkey’s political mind, its state mind.