Fidan: Turkiye expects Iraq to recognise PKK as terror group

Turkiye expects Iraq to officially recognise the Kurdish PKK group as a terrorist organisation, Anadolu reported Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan saying yesterday.

“We expect Iraq, out of friendship and brotherhood, to officially recognise PKK as a terrorist organisation,” Fidan said during a joint press conference held with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein in Baghdad.

“We must not allow the PKK terrorist organisation, which is a common enemy of Turkiye and Iraq, to poison our bilateral relations,” he added. “We cannot accept PKK challenging the sovereignty of Iraq.”

Fidan said that territorial integrity, political unity and the sovereignty of Iraq are some of Turkiye’s priorities, pointing out that “Sinjar, Makhmour, Qandil, Sulaymaniyah and many other Iraqi districts have been occupied by the PKK terror group.”

READ: Turkiye FM to visit Baghdad, Erbil this week

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkiye, the UK, US and the EU, and Ankara says it is responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.

For his part, Iraq’s foreign minister said: “We prioritise the development of our mutual relations through continuous discussions with the Turkish government and ministries.”

He pointed out that “geographical, humanitarian, historical and cultural commonalities form the foundation of the relations between the two countries.” While commercial and economic relations between the two countries “have progressed rapidly and continue to develop.”

He emphasised that the Iraqi constitution does not allow any foreign armed group to use Iraq as a base to launch attacks against neighbouring countries.