2nd lead updated 21:37
In a possibly significant policy shift, a spokesperson for Turkey's ruling party has said that Kurds in Iraq have the right to self-determination, reports the Huffington Post.
“The Kurds of Iraq can decide for themselves the name and type of entity they are living in," said Huesyin Celik of the Justice and Development Party.
“Turkey has been supporting the Kurdistan region till now and will continue to support,” he added.
Ankara has historically opposed Kurdish independence, linked to the Kurdish liberation movement in the east of Turkey, but the spokesperson's statement could mean that there has been a change in their policy on the question of Kurdistan in northern Iraq.
The Turkish government has become one of Kurdistan's largest trade partner in the recent years, and Kurdistan is reported to have increased oil exports through Turkey in the past week, at the same time as the Iraqi government was struggling to halt the advance of ISIS fighters.
Iraq has threatened legal action, saying the government in Baghdad has sole authority to sell the crude oil.