In Iraq, following Kirkuk, Salahaddin province has also announced that all official correspondence in state institutions will be conducted in both Arabic and Turkish.
Salahaddin Provincial Council Member Atıf al-Najjar told Anadolu Agency (AA) that, according to Article 4 of the Iraqi Constitution, Turkish is recognized as an official language in areas with a significant Turkmen population and has the right to be used in official documents.
Based on this constitutional article, Turkish will now be used in all official correspondence across the province, including city centers, districts, towns and villages.
Najjar noted that although this right was established in law, it had not been implemented until now. In addition to official documents, state institutions’ signage will also feature Turkish alongside Arabic.
Emphasizing that Turkmens are the second-largest ethnic group in Salahaddin after Arabs, Najjar said this step was taken to protect the rights of Turkmens nationwide.
Ahmet Abbas, a resident of Tuz Khurmatu in Salahaddin, expressed his happiness about the use of Turkish in official documents.
He noted that although they had long awaited the law’s implementation, it had never been enforced until now. Seeing Turkish in Salahaddin’s official institutions, he said, was like a dream come true.
Recalling that speaking Turkish was once banned during the former Baath Party rule, Abbas viewed the inclusion of Turkish in official documents and institutional signage as proof of the strong Turkmen presence in the region.
Abbas also called for this constitutional right to be implemented not only in Salahaddin but in all Turkmen-populated areas across Iraq.
Türkeş Muhammed Tuzlu pointed out that, after the fall of the Baath regime, schools teaching in Turkish were opened in areas with a high Turkmen population. He emphasized that the use of Turkish in official correspondence is a constitutional right and welcomed the decision.
Tuzlu noted that the issue was first brought to the agenda of the Salahaddin Provincial Council about 16 years ago but could not be implemented due to the conditions at the time.
With this decision, Turkmen in Salahaddin province have now gained the right to use their mother tongue in official settings.
