Turkey – The Turkish-Iraqi security summit, held yesterday, Thursday in Baghdad, resulted in the establishment of joint permanent committees working in the fields of combating terrorism, trade, agriculture, energy, water, health, and transportation.
The Iraqi capital, Baghdad, hosted a meeting that included, from the Turkish side, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Hakan Fidan, the Minister of Defense, Yaşar Guler, the Head of the Intelligence Service, Ibrahim Kalin, and Munir Karaloglu, Deputy Minister of the Interior.
On the Iraqi side, it included the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of National Security, the Head of the Popular Mobilization Forces, the Deputy Director of the Intelligence Agency, and the Minister of Interior of the Kurdistan Regional Government.
The joint statement issued after the summit stated that Ankara and Baghdad confirm that every effort will be made to ensure the success of the historic visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Iraq.
Turkey welcomed the decision of the Iraqi National Security Council regarding the terrorist PKK as a banned organization in Iraq.
In this meeting, which is a continuation of the talks that took place in Ankara on December 19, 2023, the two parties discussed the common positions that will be adopted in the face of regional developments and various challenges in the bilateral fields.
Preparations for President Erdogan’s scheduled visit to Iraq after Ramadan were also discussed.
The two parties stressed that all efforts will be made to make this historic visit a success, and expressed their hope that it will provide a leap forward in bilateral relations.
It was decided during the meeting to intensify work on a memorandum of understanding in order to create a structural framework in various aspects of relations between the two countries, and thus establish regular communication mechanisms.
The two sides also agreed to work in a coordinated manner, at regular intervals, and with a results-oriented approach, in addition to establishing a strategic framework for relations through a memorandum of understanding that they will prepare.
The statement stressed the importance that the two parties attach to Iraq’s political unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. It also stressed that the PKK terrorist organization poses a security threat to Turkey and Iraq, and that its presence on Iraqi territory constitutes a violation of the Iraqi constitution.
In the statement, Turkey welcomed the decision taken by the Iraqi National Security Council to consider the PKK a banned organization in Iraq, while confirming that the two sides consulted regarding the measures that must be taken against the organizations and their extensions that target Turkey through Iraqi territory.
The statement stated that the two sides exchanged views on the challenges taking place in the region, especially the massacres amounting to genocide in Gaza, while affirming their strong will to support the Palestinian cause.
The two sides agreed to continue negotiations regularly and without interruption within the framework of the aforementioned mechanisms.
During a security meeting between Iraq and Turkey in December 2023, Iraq considered the PKK a “common threat” and a “prohibited organization” for the first time.
In addition, the Iraqi National Security Council announced its decision regarding the organization to public opinion, speaking for the first time about the joint struggle while confirming that the PKK is using Iraqi territory to target Turkey.
Anatolia
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2024-04-27 17:22:02
