Minister Fidan: We hope that Iraq will officially recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan held a joint press conference after meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Iraq’s capital Baghdad, where he arrived as part of an official visit .

Hakan Fidan made the following statements in his speech:

* “Dear members of the press, I would like to express my pleasure to be here in Baghdad today. In particular, I would like to express my pleasure to be the guest of my dear friend, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Fuad Hüseyin. As he said in his speech, we made regular visits to Baghdad and Iraq during my previous service.

* We have very valuable friendships and friends in Iraq. We have worked together with these friends over the years through very difficult times. We work together to solve many regional and bilateral problems. Now, as Foreign Minister of the Republic of Turkey, in my new position, I would like to express my pleasure to work in a new spirit to maximize Turkey-Iraq relations and minimize existing problems, especially with Mr. Fuad Hüseyin. . with my dear friends.

“WE SUPPORT THE ESTABLISHED GOVERNMENT”

* Dear friends, as you know, for the Republic of Turkey, our relations with our neighbor Iraq are one of the most important and priority issues in our foreign policy. Protecting the territorial integrity, political unity and sovereignty of Iraq is one of our foreign policy priorities.

* We will meticulously preserve this approach in the future as we have done so far. We see Iraq as a reliable partner with whom we can achieve strategic goals together.

* We believe that the prosperity, security and stability of Iraq contributes to the prosperity, security and stability of Turkey. Therefore, I would like to express that we support the government established by Prime Minister Mr. Shia Sudani and we especially appreciate the efforts of him and his government to solve Iraq’s infrastructure problems.

“WE SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT ROUTE PROJECT”

* We strongly support the road development project led by Mr. Sudani. We believe this strategic move will make Iraq the region’s Transportation Base. We believe that the project will also contribute to the stability and prosperity of our region with its multiplier effect. For this reason, we call on all the countries of the region to support this project.

“WE HOPE THEY WILL OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZE THE PKK AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION”

* Distinguished members of the press, As the Minister has just said, we discussed a wide variety of issues in our extensive meetings today. The first of these is the fight against terrorism. We must not allow our common enemy, the PKK terrorist organization, to poison our bilateral relations. We cannot remain indifferent to the PKK’s challenge to Iraqi sovereignty. The PKK terrorist organization has occupied Sinjar, Mahmur, Qandil, Sulaymaniyah and many other Iraqi villages.

* Seeks to unite these two regions with the terror corridor it has established by ignoring the borders between Syria and Iraq. We support the fight of our Iraqi brothers at all levels against the terrorist organization PKK, which has become the tool of the imperial powers. We also hope that they will officially recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization as a requirement of friendship and brotherhood.

* We stand ready to work with Iraq in the fight against any terrorist organization, regardless of its name, be it PKK or DAESH, that threatens the territorial integrity and political unity of Iraq, covets the stability and well-being of our Iraqi brothers, and commits Crimes against humanity. .

“OUR COMMERCIAL VOLUME IS APPROACHING 25 BILLION DOLLARS”

* Distinguished members of the press, Türkiye attaches great importance to its economic relations with Iraq. As of now, our trade volume is approaching $25 billion. But this is a figure well below our real potential. I would like to express this too. There are some steps we need to take to take this even further, mutually, no doubt. We also discussed it with the Minister. There are agreements that must be made on some ground of agreement. We will work on that together. We exchange ideas on what needs to be done so that the world of commerce does not experience difficulties. We agreed on the steps we should take.

“WE ARE CLOSELY FOLLOWING THE WATER STRESS IN IRAQ”

* We also discussed the issue of water, which is an important issue on our common agenda. We are closely monitoring the water shortage in Iraq. I would like it to be known that we approach this issue from a purely humanitarian point of view, especially our President. As you know, our region is going through the driest period in recent years. We attach importance to the establishment of a cooperative and seamless dialogue mechanism on water on a scientific and rational basis. And on this issue we have reached a consensus with my dear friend so that our work is more institutional and more systematic.

“IF THEY ARE UNITED, THE ATTACKERS WILL THINK AGAIN”

* Distinguished members of the press, another major issue of ours is the vile attacks on our holy book, the Qur’an, and hostility towards Islam, unfortunately, continues to spread like an epidemic in Europe. As I have said on several occasions before, these ongoing attacks on the Qur’an in Europe resemble the process that began with book-making activities before World War II.

* This process, which began with the burning of books, eventually turned into concentration camps. As the Islamic world, we fight together against this threat. Last month, at the initiative of my dear friend, the Foreign Minister of Iraq, Mr. Fuat Hussein, we met in an extraordinary meeting as the Foreign Ministry of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. As a result of our work within the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the burning of holy books was defined by the United Nations as a violation of religious hatred and international law.

* This was a historic step in the fight against Islamophobia. I would like to thank my dear friend again for his contribution. If we are united, those who attack our sacred values ​​will think twice before acting, I am sure of that”.

“IRAQ IS NOT A PLACE FOR FOREIGN POWERS TO ATTACK NEIGHBORS”

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein made remarks at the joint press conference after meeting with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who was visiting Baghdad, at the Foreign Ministry building in Baghdad.

Expressing his satisfaction with Fidan’s visit to Baghdad, Hüseyin thanked Minister Fidan for complying with this visit at their request.

Stating that they touched on important issues between the two countries during the meeting, Hüseyin continued as follows:

“The relations between Iraq and Türkiye are important for both parties. We attach importance to developing these relations through continuous negotiations with the Turkish government and ministries. Our geographic, human, historical, and cultural associations form the basis of these relationships.”

Noting the trade and economic relations between the two countries, the Iraqi minister said, “Our trade relations with Turkey have progressed rapidly and continue to develop gradually.” he used his statements.

Fuad Hussein stressed that the Iraqi Constitution does not allow any foreign armed organization (the PKK terrorist organization) to use Iraq as a site of attack against neighboring countries and that they are determined to implement the Constitution.

Regarding President Erdogan’s expected visit to Iraq, the Iraqi minister said:

“I hope we will quickly sign joint agreements and memorandums of understanding between the two parties to prepare the ground for His Excellency Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Baghdad.”

Expressing that both countries are affected by the reflections of climate change, Hüseyin said, “We also touched on the issue of water in our meeting. Both countries are affected by climate change. Climate change and drought negatively affect Iraq’s agriculture and economy. We need joint and continuous cooperation in this area (water issue)”. saying.

Regarding the export of Iraqi oil through Turkey, Hüseyin wanted to solve the problem of the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (IKRG) exporting oil to Turkey through the Cihan Pipeline.

Giving the information that 850 Turkish companies are operating in Iraq, Hüseyin noted that these Turkish companies carry out work in the field of construction and zoning.

The Iraqi foreign minister stated that the issue of entry visas between the two countries was also on the agenda, noting that both parties should facilitate this issue.

Noting that the rise of anti-Islamic actions in Europe was also discussed during the meeting, Hüseyin said, “We also discussed conducting joint studies on the issue of Islamophobia, which has become widespread in Europe and has reached a dangerous level.” he said. (DHA, AA)