WNAM REPORT: Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Sunday that the 5th meeting of the Türkiye-Iraq High-Level Security Mechanism was intensive and positive.
“It went very positively. We thoroughly discussed the strategic issues between the two friendly countries,” Fidan told reporters in the Mediterranean city of Antalya, where he was attending the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
He noted that the security mechanism has become an increasingly institutionalized platform between the two countries, adding that the platform reflects the professionalism of both nations.
The meeting was co-chaired by Fidan and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, with participation from representatives of both countries’ foreign ministries, defense departments and intelligence agencies, according to diplomatic sources.
It was expected to focus on reinforcing the existing mutual understanding between Türkiye and Iraq in the field of security — particularly in fighting the PKK terrorist organization — through additional concrete steps.
Discussions likely included a review of Iraq’s practical implementation of its decision to designate the PKK as a “banned organization” and a reiteration of Türkiye’s ultimate expectation that Iraq formally declares it a “terrorist organization.”
The implications of the terrorist PKK’s jailed ringleader Abdullah Ocalan’s call for the terror group’s dissolution in Iraq and the broader region were also expected to be addressed at the meeting.
Ocalan on Feb. 27 called for the dissolution of the PKK and all groups under it, urging an end to its terror campaign.
The PKK, a terrorist group that has taken some 40,000 lives in its four-decade terror campaign against Türkiye, often hides out in Iraq to plot terrorist attacks on Türkiye.
Türkiye was also expected to reiterate its demand for concrete steps against the terror group behind the 2016 defeated coup attempt — the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) — and its presence in Iraq, especially its so-called schools.
The meeting was also anticipated to reaffirm Türkiye’s determination to jointly combat the Daesh (ISIS) terror group and highlight the importance of regional cooperation under the principle of “regional solutions to regional problems.”
It was also expected to evaluate opportunities to enhance coordination and cooperation between the two neighboring countries, especially in light of current developments in Syria and Israel’s ongoing aggression in the region.
