Türkiye has the "full cooperation" of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) regarding the fight against the PKK, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Wednesday after 12 Turkish soldiers were killed in northern Iraq recently.
Speaking to media representatives in the capital Ankara, Fidan said: "We have full cooperation with Irbil on the fight against terrorism. They share our sensitivities, especially regarding the PKK. We reach a better point every day in our cooperation."
Saying that the PKK also targets Irbil beside Ankara, Fidan said: "There is currently an alliance the PKK has forged in Suleymaniyah with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). The KYB-PKK alliance is against the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)."
Following the attack on Turkish soldiers in December, the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the National Intelligence Organization (MIT) stepped up their retaliation operations against the PKK in both northern Syria and northern Iraq.
Turkish forces regularly carry out strikes in neighboring Iraq as part of the country's offensive against PKK militants. Since 2019, Türkiye has launched a series of operations in northern Iraq after President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's declaration of "a new security concept in combating terrorism" and plan to "eliminate terrorism and terrorists at its source."
The PKK is designated a terrorist group by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union. It took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984 and over the decades it has conducted many deadly attacks in the country.
Fidan reiterated that Türkiye and Iraq held a joint security meeting before the attack in a new format in which diplomats, soldiers and intelligence officials took part.
"Everyone has their own world and priorities. In fact, the awareness of the PKK in Baghdad could only be achieved in the last three to four years. The PKK is a terrorist organization founded against Türkiye. They do not hold one square meter of land in Türkiye. However, in Iraq, they hold a great area of territory. There is PKK presence in Mahmour, Sinjar, Sulaymaniyah, Zaho and Qandil," Fidan pointed out, saying that the PKK is a threat to Iraq and its sovereignty as much as it is a threat to Türkiye.
"The only reason for our presence there is the fight against the PKK. If you embrace the fight against the PKK, then we will not need to do anything," he reiterated.
On the other side, Fidan also said that Türkiye is following the local elections in Iraq closely and continuing contact with several parties, the latest of which was his meeting with Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) President Hasan Turan.
"What we want is the continuation of the previously developed rule, that is, the continuation of an alternating governorship system between the parties. We continue to work to prevent an equation in which the PKK and PUK partnership will establish influence in the region."
On the visit of his U.S. counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Türkiye, Fidan confirmed that the meeting will take place on Saturday. Israel’s continuing attacks on civilians in Gaza, terrorism in northern Iraq, as well as Sweden’s NATO bid, are expected to be on the agenda of the two top diplomats. Fidan also mentioned that there is no planned visit of Erdoğan to the U.S. to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden.
‘Gaza war to have regional implications’
Türkiye has been playing a vital role since the clashes between Hamas and Israel started on Oct. 7, rallying the international community to stop the fighting and establish a permanent cease-fire.
"The fact that the international community did not make any effort to prevent this was a serious breaking point for the system. The effects of this will of course need to be discussed. Every country has to learn significant lessons from this," Fidan said, adding that the U.S. and the West’s unconditional support for Israel is a big problem.
"What happened in Gaza caused the West and the Europeans to suddenly lose all of their reputation and all the credit they had accumulated. In this process, there are practices that we have introduced for the first time. As regional countries and the Islamic world, we formed a contact group on the Gaza issue for the first time. It is important that we systematically put pressure on certain places and produce arguments. Being together also enabled us to maintain the same position and unity of discourse," he added.
Fidan said that this is the third war Türkiye has witnessed in Gaza and is more prepared and experienced on this issue than previously.
"More importantly, we need to see that Russia and China are in a different position here, that is, the competitive equation in the region has evolved elsewhere."