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Events immediately following Kurdistan’s 2017 referendum on independence made it clear that the Kurdistan Region must remain part of Iraq for the time being. Although some 93% of Kurdistan’s voters chose independence, geographical realities, forceful actions from Baghdad and neighboring states, and a lack of support from the international community put independence on hold for the indefinite future.Since then, a change of government in Baghdad has also made remaining within Iraq a more attractive option than before. The new Adil Abdul-Mahdi government shows a much greater willingness to cultivate a positive relationship with the Kurds. More cooperation in the disputed territories, despite their return to Baghdad’s control in October 2017, became evident under Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi.The new Iraqi budget passed last week likewise shows good will from Baghdad, with guaranteed salaries for Kurdistan’s civil servants and Peshmerga – even while the Peshmerga remain under Erbil’s command. The budget also includes funds for the families of Peshmerga killed or wounded fighting ISIS.If the Kurdistan Region fails to deliver 250,000 barrels of oil per day to Iraq’s state oil marketing board (SOMO), these salaries will not be affected. Instead, money earmarked from the Iraqi budget for other projects in Kurdistan, such as investments and infrastructure, will be reduced.The positive gains for Kurdistan from this budget, and the good will it shows, should not be minimized. The situation is now a far cry from the confrontations and punitive measures of both the former Abadi and Maliki governments. With a renewed spirit of cooperation under Abdul-Mahdi, Erbil and Baghdad may even prove capable of moving forward to solve other long festering problems, including the need for a census throughout Iraq (especially in the disputed territories), a fair national hydrocarbons law, a second chamber of government representing the regions and governorates, a federal supreme court appointed by both Baghdad and the regions and governorates, and similar issues.As long as the people of Kurdistan remain in Iraq under such improved circumstances, they should return to doing their best for the entire country. This means participating actively in Baghdad, taking an interest in the problems of other regions of the country, making stronger alliances with other Iraqi political groups, and contributing to the welfare of the Iraqi state in general.At the same time, leaders in Baghdad should always remember to treat Kurdistan as a real part of Iraq. This means more than demanding that Erbil hand over oil revenues to SOMO. It means treating the Kurdistan Region and the governorates as real partners in a renewed federation. It means things like adding the Kurdish language to more public venues, such as Iraqi Airways decided to do last week with its new Kurdish on-board announcements.Treating Kurdistan as a part of Iraq also has to mean standing up for the Region when outsiders attack it. The recent campaign of Turkish air and artillery bombardments targeting the Kurdistan Region is a case in point. In the past week, at least six civilians of the Region died in these attacks.While the Turkish campaign primarily targets Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants active in the mountainous border area on the border of Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey, Turkish forces do not seem overly careful with their targets or concerned about the civilian casualties.Despite endless bombardments since the early 1990s, and even several invasions over the years by Turkish troops targeting PKK bases, Ankara remains completely incapable of solving its “PKK problem” militarily.For Turkey to demand that Erbil or Baghdad remove PKK militants from such a mountainous area (solving Turkey’s problem militarily), or face endless bombings from Turkish F-16s, is not acceptable. These are areas Turkey itself has not been able to purge of PKK fighters, who remain active in both Iraqi Kurdistan and Turkey as well.Baghdad must therefore take a more robust role in demanding an end to these Turkish attacks on what it claims remains Iraqi territory. Turkey needs to hear more calls to solve its “Kurdish problem” democratically, in what really amounts to a “democracy problem” that require Ankara to return to the negotiating table.As we saw with this week’s popular civilian protest and attack upon a Turkish military base in Iraqi Kurdistan, the people of the Region have also had enough. If these people are truly Iraqi, as Baghdad always reminds them, then Baghdad needs to speak for them now and fulfill its constitutional responsibilities to safeguard the borders.If Ankara ignores diplomatic demands to stop the air campaign against part of Iraq, then the 2020 budget for the country should probably include some air defense systems for the north.David Romano has been a Rudaw columnist since 2010. He holds the Thomas G. Strong Professor of Middle East Politics at Missouri State University and is the author of numerous publications on the Kurds and the Middle East.The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rudaw.