Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan made statements about the agenda in an interview with the Iraq-based television channel UTV.
Fidan emphasized that the historical, geographical, cultural, and religious connections between Türkiye and Iraq have become so intertwined that the relations between the two countries have an indispensable dimension and importance. He said, "Our relations with our neighboring countries—Syria, Iraq, and Iran—are fundamental relations. Whatever happens there affects us. Whatever happens here affects them. Therefore, we always wish for the situation in Iraq to be extraordinarily good, for all of its issues, including economic, political, and security matters, to be resolved."
Fidan noted that Türkiye, especially under the perspective introduced by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over the past 20 years, has been trying to stand by Iraq. He stated, "Because over the last 20 years, Iraq has gone through very difficult times. It was occupied, there was a civil war, and there has been a fight against terrorism. There are still various ongoing struggles. This situation keeps Iraq from reaching the capacity it should have. Therefore, as Türkiye, we ask ourselves, what can we do to help solve Iraq's problems more effectively? How can we help? How can Iraq's sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, internal peace, and development continue? These are the policies we have in place."
Recalling that 27 agreements were signed during President Erdoğan's visit to Iraq last year, Fidan mentioned that they supported the efforts of Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shiya al-Sudani to develop infrastructure and other services in the country.
After the signing of 27 agreements between Türkiye and Iraq, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reported that dozens of meetings had been held at various levels regarding issues such as water, energy, security, trade, and the Development Road. He highlighted the work of Prime Minister Sudani and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein. Fidan stated that the two countries were continuing efforts in various fields, including energy, agriculture, irrigation, and transportation, to work in a way that benefits both nations.
Fidan shared that Türkiye desires an Iraq that has achieved internal peace, is free from international and environmental problems, and uses its own energy resources based on its independent will. He emphasized that Iraq is a rich country with many resources, and it can contribute to itself and the region.
Fidan stressed that the PKK is a terrorist organization threatening Türkiye and that it has occupied several regions in Iraq, particularly Sinjar. He said, "Now, of course, it is crucial for the Iraqi government to develop certain measures against the PKK, both for its own security and for regional security."
He also emphasized that no one benefits from Iraq becoming a place for sectarian proxy wars, underlining that this situation must be overcome with maturity, and Iraq must achieve stability.
Fidan further added, "Iraq belongs to all Iraqis; whether Shia, Sunni, Turkmen, Kurdish, or Yazidi, it belongs to all Iraqis, and we support Mr. Sudani's policy in this regard. However, some conflicts and disagreements that have arisen in recent years continue to feed certain emotions. Our intention, as Türkiye, is to see Iraq not only develop but also overcome its own problems through constructive policies."
When asked, "Do you think the role the Iraqi government has undertaken to combat terrorist organizations is sufficient? As far as I know, the Iraqi government is working to control or stop these terrorist groups as much as possible. Can we say that cooperation between Türkiye and Iraq in the fight against terrorism should be further developed?" Fidan responded by noting that the cooperation mechanism between the two countries has developed in recent years, particularly focusing on security. He pointed out that Türkiye has opened its defense industry market and capabilities to Iraq.
Fidan drew attention to President Erdoğan's directive to Türkiye's defense industry, the Ministry of National Defense, and other security-related institutions to assist Iraq. He added:
"On the other hand, as we've progressed in the fight against terrorism with Iraq, we expect the same kind of struggle against the PKK as Iraq fought against ISIS. At the point we've reached now, an initial step has been taken in legally defining the PKK as a threat. We welcome this step. We hope the Iraqi government, along with the patriotic Iraqis, will give the necessary fight against the PKK that has occupied Iraqi territory, both in the Kurdish region and the Arab region. Just as they cleared ISIS from Iraq, Iraq's sons will also clear the PKK."
Fidan noted that failing to clear the PKK would harm Iraq, stating, "I've dealt with my part of the issue, thank God, through struggle, but who will deal with Iraq's part? Some unfortunately think, 'This terrorist organization was created for Türkiye, so let them fight it out.' This is the wrong way of thinking. As I said, there's nothing for us here; the harm is to Iraq. There's arms smuggling, heroin smuggling, and they've tied up the customs with bribery. They forcibly recruit people into the army, and there are uncontrolled armed groups. Iraq is an independent, sovereign state. It has its military forces, police, intelligence, but aside from all these, there is an armed PKK in contact with Iraqi forces, receiving no orders from Iraq."
In response to the question about whether he has any doubts that the PKK will not lay down its weapons following the call made from Imralı, Fidan stated, "After the last call, we hope, wish, and want this call to be heard, and that the organization, just as its leader has requested, will hold a congress, make the decision to disband, and lay down its weapons. If they do this, both the Kurds and the people of the region, in Iraq, Türkiye, and Syria, will truly benefit greatly. A terrorist group will have transformed itself into another structure. Now, the organization needs to understand this: both Iraq, Syria, and Türkiye, we are all ready to accept an unarmed stance, but when there is an armed terrorist threat, no one can allow that. My belief and my wish are that, hopefully, this will happen. But if not, whatever has been done so far will continue, but frankly, I am expecting a development soon."
