Strong relations should be established between Turkey and Iraq, Iraqi politician Ayad Allawi said Monday, describing the country as the region's door to Europe.
Allawi, who became the first interim prime minister following the United States invasion and then served as vice president from 2014 to 2015 and 2016 to 2018, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that "The strongest relations should be established between Iraq and Turkey. Turkey is our neighbor, our water source and our gateway to Europe.”
Expressing that he has great respect for Turkey, Allawi said: "We also have common customs with Turkey. One of my uncles was the first Turkish Consul General of Iraq during the Royal period. Strong relations with Turkey should be re-established. (President Recep Tayyip) Erdoğan is my friend and I ate the most delicious pastry at his home. I've visited Turkey, I hope I will again. I have great respect for Turkey and I see the Turkish people as exemplary people."
Allawi also referred to the presence of the terrorist organization PKK in Iraq and said: "It is not correct to condemn Turkey's operations by condoning the PKK's presence in our lands and attacking Turkish lands. This shouldn't happen. Once (when I was Prime Minister) I sent the Intelligence Chief to them and asked them not to attack Turkey."
The PKK terrorist group often hides out in northern Iraq, just across Turkey's southern border, to plot terrorist attacks in Turkey. The Turkish military regularly conducts cross-border operations in northern Iraq. Turkey has long been stressing that it will not tolerate terrorist threats posed against its national security and has called on Iraqi officials to take the necessary steps to eliminate the terrorist group. Ankara previously noted that if the expected steps were not taken, it would not shy away from targeting terrorist threats.
The PKK terrorist group also managed to establish a foothold in Sinjar in mid-2014 under the pretext of protecting the local Yazidi community from Daesh. Since then, the PKK has reportedly established a new base in Sinjar for its logistical and command-and-control activities. Around 450,000 Yazidis escaped Sinjar after Daesh took control of the region in mid-2014.
Turkey and Iraq have agreed to eliminate terrorism as soon as possible, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said recently following his recent meetings with central and regional Iraqi government officials.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Akar said: "We all agree on the fight against terrorism and getting rid of it as soon as possible."
"I have expressed to them very clearly: 'We have been fighting (terrorism) for 40 years. Now we need to get rid of it as soon as possible'," Akar said. "For this reason, we reminded them of our principle 'wherever there is a terrorist, that is our target.'"
Turkey has carried out a series of offensives, known as the called "Claw" operations, since 2019 against terrorist groups in northern Iraq, particularly the PKK. Operations Claw-Tiger and Claw-Eagle were initiated in June 2020 in the Sinjar, Qandil, Haftanin and Zap regions, while operations Claw-Lightning and Claw-Bolt were launched last April in Metina and Avashin-Basyan regions.
No matter what anyone says, Turkey is determined to root out terrorist organizations that threaten the security, peace and stability of the country and the region, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also said regarding the ongoing operations.
In its more than 40-year terrorism campaign against Turkey, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children and infants.
