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Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye is ready to utilize all measures to ensure security and stability on its southern borders.
Noting that Iraq has been through a challenging period in the past two decades, Fidan said the country has been able to normalize in the past 4-5 years.
“We are trying to work in cohesion with the Iraqi government,” Fidan told a live broadcast on Monday, adding that the central government has come under criticism for its shortcomings in providing basic services to the Iraqi people.
He said that the PKK terrorists took advantage of the chaotic situation in the country to become permanent and expand its presence.
The top Turkish diplomat said Ankara has been actively engaged in eliminating PKK terrorists in Iraq and wants to draw a strategic plan and involve Iraq in this, as the terrorist group’s increasing presence in Iraq and its offshoot YPG Syria significantly damage both countries.
He continued by saying that Türkiye welcomed the Iraqi government’s designation of the PKK as a “banned organization.”
Noting that Türkiye is not only focused on a security-based relation with its southern neighbor, Fidan said Ankara was also considering wider cooperation initiatives in the defense and energy sectors.
“When you have a relationship that is based on economic development, you need to eliminate security issues,” he said, adding that economic development is only possible in a safe and secure atmosphere.
Fidan also said Iran may be included in the economic and security dimension of the discussions, as Ankara discusses Iraq and the issue of terrorism when holding meetings with Tehran.
Referring to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s upcoming visit to Iraq next month, Fidan said Ankara wants to institutionalize its relations with Iraq and plans to ink various agreements in the fields of economy, agriculture, water and more.
‘Türkiye does not want to become enemies with allies’
Regarding Türkiye’s ongoing counterterrorism operations, Fidan said Ankara wants to collaborate with its allies, which serves the interests of all actors.
“Everybody in Iraq wants electricity, roads, hospitals and a good education system and they’ve been putting pressure on the coalition in this regard,” Fidan said, adding that politicians have increasingly been in favor of focusing on development. This parallels Ankara’s regional vision, according to Fidan, who said Türkiye wants a stability-based vision in the region.
“We do not want to become enemies with our allies as we eliminate the PKK,” he said, adding that Ankara expects them to not support the terrorist group. He referred to the local administration in Sulaymaniyah, which he said does not only support the PKK terrorists but also lets the YPG terrorists use the region to provide logistical support to the terrorists.
“We will continue to put pressure on them,” Fidan said, adding that officials in Sulaymaniyah need to immediately correct their mistake.
Fidan’s remarks came as Turkish officials raised the possibility of a large-scale military offensive in Iraq to eliminate the threat of the PKK this summer and Defense Minister Yaşar Güler affirmed their intent “to close the last security loophole” in the region.
