Joint anti-terror fight with Iraq advances, says FM

ANKARA

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has emphasized the advancements in the collaborative effort against terrorism with Iraq, underscoring the imperative for Türkiye's neighbor to enhance its infrastructure to further bolster the efforts.

"Iraq has undergone a painful process for the last 20 years. There has been a situation that favors the terrorist organization [PKK]," Fidan said during a televised interview with private broadcaster NTV on May 15.

The minister asserted Türkiye's strides in combating terrorism alongside Iraq but underscored the need for the country to address its foundational challenges.

"Iraq possesses abundant oil and resources. However, it grapples with fundamental energy, water, health and infrastructure deficiencies. It's not possible to rectify these in a nation plagued by armed factions," Fidan said.

"While the PKK cannot control a centimeter of land in this country [Türkiye], it has captured many regions in Iraq and Syria."

Fidan urged Iraq to leverage Türkiye's expertise in infrastructure development.

"All this blood, tears and war must stop. For this, we need to go to planned projects. The resources of the region are available," he said. “That's what people want.”

Underlining Ankara's commitment to "eradicating terrorism at its roots," Fidan affirmed the continuity of cross-border operations.

"While doing this, we neither want to be misunderstood by our neighbors nor do we want to conflict with them," he said. "We have no eyes on any country's lands."

Fidan's remarks followed President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's landmark visit to Iraq on April 22, the first in over a decade. The trip encompassed discussions with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad, as well as engagements with Nechirvan Barzani and Masrour Barzani of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil.

Security collaboration and the joint endeavor against terrorism emerged as central themes during these deliberations. In the interview, Fidan affirmed Türkiye's commitment to a cooperative stance with both the Baghdad and Erbil administrations in the fight against terrorism.

Recent high-level meetings involving foreign and defense ministers, alongside intelligence chiefs from Türkiye and Iraq, culminated in the designation of the PKK as a banned entity within Iraqi borders.