Why Iraqi Kurdistan Region Asked Moscow for Help?

Regarding the news story three points seems worthy to be mentioned. First, the Kurdish region is geopolitically dependent on three powers, the US, Turkey, and Iran. This dependence has seen many ups and downs over the time, however.
 
Second, after the Turkish apology to Russia for shooting down its jet in Syria, the Ankara-Moscow relations have opened a specifically new page. This approach of Ankara managed to ease the tensions and call the Russian attention, and now the two countries are working to restore their political and economic ties.
 
And third, it is clear that the Turkish relations with Europe and the US have recently witnessed a chill over some domestic Turkish issues as well as Ankara\'s clashes with the Kurds, particularly with the political branch of the Kurds in the country, People’s Democratic Party.
 
Apparently, the Turkish relations with the West at the present time are not in favorable conditions. Actually, despite the fact that this country is an ally to the West, their relations are suffering from increasing tensions. The more the tensions go intensified, the more Turkey moves towards Russia due to its geographic position.
 
Erbil has begun to take the same steps. So, now the conditions are ready and appropriate for the Kurdish region to follow Ankara\'s steps. This means that Kurdistan region is becoming inclined to move towards Russia.
 
But this tendency towards Moscow does not mean that Erbil government will fully coordinate its policies with Russia. Actually, despite the fact that the region is part of Iraq’s territory and the country’s political structures, it wants to show some independence in actions and seeks holding friendly relations with all of countries. In fact, Kurdistan region’s government is seizing the opportunity of balanced Russian-Turkish relations in a bid to organize relations with Moscow. It also is notable that the Kurdish official who made the suggestions to Bogdanov is not a top Kurdish official and decision maker.
 
On the other side, there is another scenario which suggests that perhaps this news is published with a special purpose. Because after this, the Russian relations with the Kurdish region will not see special changes, and even if there are changes, they will be very limited. So, may be announcing the news is a green light to Russia with the hope of receiving military support from Moscow amid difficult economic conditions the Kurdish is grappling with.
 
Furthermore, this asking Moscow for help  by the Kurdish region puts a kind of pressure on Washington as an ally of Erbil. Actually, the Kurdish officials want to send a message to the US to warn that if it declines to meet their demands, they just like Turkey will turn heads to Russia.
 
The same tactic has been used by Egypt in the region. When the Egyptian officials faced criticism from the Americans, they headed towards the Russians. This made the US resume its suspended annual aids, particularly its military support for Cairo.
 
Therefore, Erbil has learned to adopt this policy and on the one hand is looking forward to coordinating its policies with Ankara to some degree and on the other hand using its new approach to get help from Moscow. At the same time, it wants to tell Washington that as an ally it cannot disregard the Kurdish demands.
 
It must be taken into consideration that in terms of policy there are differences between Iraq’s Kurdistan region and the Syrian Kurds. In fact, the Syrian Democratic Forces that are now launching assault to liberate Raqqa from ISIS terrorist group are considered as allies of the PKK, Ankara’s archenemy. But the Kurds of Iraq are now allies to the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Furthermore, the US is now close to the Syrian Kurds, and this closeness is more than what the Iraqi Kurds and the Kurdistan region expected. This closeness on the one hand has drawn the Turkish discontent and on the other hand pushed Erbil even closer to Ankara.  It is likely that Kurdistan\'s moving towards Russia comes with a green light from Turkey to warn the West that it shouldn’t no cross the red lines. In other words, if Washington gets closer to the Kurds of Syria– which means PKK profits from this closeness– the Iraqi Kurdistan region will allow itself to move close to Russia.