Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein discussed cooperation in commerce, water, and combatting terrorism, on the eve of a planned visit by Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to Ankara on Thursday.
During his visit, Kadhimi is expected to discuss with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan economic and security matters.
“We, as Turkey, will give all the necessary support for clearing the entire country of this terror organization – PKK,” the Turkish FM told a joint press conference on Wednesday.
Cavusoglu recalled an agreement between Baghdad and the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government for wiping out the PKK and other terror organizations from Sinjar province of Iraq, describing the deal “as very important for the future of Iraq.”
"The PKK terrorist organization does not represent the Kurds and above all [it is] the enemy of the Kurds. They attack all Kurds in Turkey, Syria, and Iraq who do not obey them. This is why they attacked the Kurds in northern Iraq recently," Cavusoglu noted.
The Turkish minister went on to say that PKK and The People's Protection Units (YPG) are the same, and they attack everyone regardless of ethnicity or sect.
“The Iraqi constitution doesn’t allow an organization to operate inside Iraq and attack other countries from Iraq. We are committed to the Iraqi constitution,” Hussein said in the press conference.
The Iraqi FM added that he also discussed with his Turkish counterpart regional developments.
“Our policy concerning Syria is well-known. We always work for the stability of Iraq. Whatever occurs in Syria impacts Iraq,” the minister said.
Hussein stated that the Iraqi delegation’s visit to Ankara is likely to result in signing memorandums of understanding with Turkey. He further welcomed the visit of Cavusoglu to Baghdad next year and expressed delight for the visit of the Turkish president to the Iraqi capital.
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