Türkiye, Iraq vow ‘joint fight’ against PKK

BAGHDAD

A joint declaration by Türkiye and Iraq following a high-level security summit in Baghdad has announced the two neighbors’ will to mutually fight the PKK terror organization on Iraqi soil. It also underlined that Baghdad has banned the PKK for the first time, a move Ankara hailed.

“The parties also underlined that the PKK poses a security threat to Türkiye and Iraq and noted that the presence of the said organization on Iraqi territory violates the Iraqi Constitution,” read the joint declaration issued on late March 14 after the security summit.

Turkish and Iraqi defense and foreign ministers as well as intelligence chiefs attended the summit which has focused on security cooperation between the two neighboring countries against the PKK threat. The first security summit took place in December in Ankara which paved the way for the intensification of talks to this end.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and National Intelligence Organization (MİT) chief İbrahim Kalın met Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Defense Minister Thabet Muhammad Al-Abbasi as well as other officials in Baghdad.

As a result of these talks, Iraq banned the PKK presence on its lands. “Türkiye welcomed the decision taken by the Iraqi National Security Council which stipulates that PKK is a banned organization in Iraq,” read the joint statement.

Although the PKK has been using the northern Iraqi soil since 1980s, it is for the first time that the government has listed it as a banned organization.

According to Ankara, the meeting in Baghdad provided important results for jointly combatting the PKK in Iraq. Diplomatic sources stressed that Iraq acknowledges the fact the PKK is posing a threat not only to Türkiye but also to Iraq and accepts Ankara’s calls for taking mutual measures against the organization.

 Permanent committees to be established

Ankara and Baghdad have also agreed on creating permanent joint committees to deepen cooperation in various fields, including counterterrorism, trade, agriculture, energy, water, healthcare and transportation.

These committees will regularly convene at the ministers’ level as part of the efforts to further structuralize the bilateral dialogue between the two countries.

The two neighboring countries also announced their decision to work on a memorandum of understanding to bring about a structural and strategic framework to the bilateral relations.

 Erdoğan to visit Iraq

Upon the request of the Iraqi side, the prospected visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to Iraq has also been mentioned in the joint declaration. It announced that President Erdoğan is expected to visit Iraq following the Ramadan. “The parties confirmed that all efforts will be exerted for the success of this historic visit and noted that they hope it will provide a leap forward in bilateral relations,” read the statement.

It will be Erdoğan’s first visit to Iraq since 2012. The diplomatic sources believe the visit will happen in April.