Turkey and Iraq sign 'historic’ military and security agreement
The MoU follows two days of talks between defence ministers in Ankara. The deal marks an improvement in bilateral relations, which were deeply strained in the past. A Joint Security Coordination Centre will be set up in Baghdad and a Joint Training and Cooperation Centre in Bashiqa.
Ankara (AsiaNews) – Turkey and Iraq signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of "historic" importance yesterday in Ankara in terms of security, military, and counterterrorism cooperation.
The deal comes after two days of discussions that marked significant progress bilateral relations between the two countries, this according to their respective defence ministers.
The implicit target of this cooperation is the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which operates from inside Iraqi Kurdistan, where Turkish forces have been boosted their presence and intensified their attacks.
In previous years, the two neighbours have been at loggerheads diplomatically and militarily over Turkey’s cross-border incursions against the PKK. Based in the mountainous region of northern Iraq, the group is deemed a terrorist organisation by Turkey.
Over the years, Iraq has repeatedly warned that Turkey’s attacks violate its territory and sovereignty, while Turkey has claimed that its operations are necessary for self-defence.
But as relations improved over the past year, the two sides agreed on a series of high-level security talks, which included a visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the Iraqi capital in April. On that occasion, the Turkish leader spoke of a "new phase" in bilateral relations.
In fact in March, Iraq declared the PKK as a "banned organisation”, a decision welcomed by Turkey, while this week, Ankara and Baghdad held a fourth round of meetings as part of the agreed dialogue mechanism.
The agreement signed by the two countries is of "historic importance" for Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who spoke alongside his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein after their talks in Ankara. For his part, Hussein stressed that the wide-ranging pact is “the first in the history of Iraq and Turkey”.
"Through the joint coordination and training centres planned in this agreement, we believe we can take our cooperation to the next level," Fidan said. To this end, "We want to advance the understanding we are developing with Iraq on counter-terrorism through concrete steps on the ground.”
A Turkish diplomatic source said that the MoU includes setting up a Joint Security Coordination Centre in Baghdad and a Joint Training and Cooperation Centre in Bashiqa. In the latter, “the onus will lie on the Iraqi armed forces,” said Hussein without providing any details.
On Monday, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters that the recent steps taken by Turkey and Iraq on counterterrorism are a turning point. Ankara wants Baghdad to go a further step and label the PKK as a terrorist organisation as soon as possible.
The PKK has led an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984; its leader, Abdullah Öcalan, is currently in a Turkish jail. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
The group is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States, and the European Union. Recent reports suggest that Turkey is increasing its military presence in Iraqi Kurdistan, conducting air raids and patrols on the ground aimed at PKK activities.
Kamaran Osman, a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), a human rights group, reports that in the first part of the year, the Turkish military conducted 833 attacks and bombings in the region as well as the Nineveh governorate, killing eight civilians.
Osman also noted that the most affected areas are Erbil and Dohuk with 365 and 356 operations, followed by Sulaymaniyah with 102 and Sinjar, the Yazidi region in Nineveh, with 10 attacks.
Many families, including Christians, have become collateral victims of the war between Ankara and the PKK, forced to flee, leaving behind empty villages.
.png)
30/03/2022 13:58
12/02/2022 17:33
