Iraqi Foreign Minister Engages in High-Level Security Talks in Turkiye

On August 14, a delegation led by Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein arrived in Ankara, with Minister Hussein meeting with Turkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan

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Iraqi Foreign Minister Engages in High-Level Security Talks in Turkiye
Wladimir van Wilgenburg
August 15, 2024

On August 14, a delegation led by Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein arrived in Ankara, with Minister Hussein meeting with Turkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan on August 15.

The Iraqi delegation also included Kurdistan Regional Government Minister of Interior Rebar Ahmed Khalid and Popular Mobilization Forces Head Falih al-Fayyadh.

“Today, I had a productive meeting with my esteemed friend, Hakan Fidan,” Hussein wrote in a post on X. 

“We discussed ways to enhance the framework for joint cooperation between our two countries. During the meeting, we explored methods to activate the Strategic Framework Agreement that was signed during President Erdogan’s visit to Baghdad, emphasizing the importance of deepening bilateral relations in a way that serves our mutual interests.”

Read More: Turkish President Erdogan Concludes Historic Visit to Kurdistan Region

On April 22, 2024, Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region for the first time in 13 years, signing over 26 agreements in Baghdad in fields such as security, water, and commercial relations.

Furthermore, in March 2024, following a high-level security meeting with a Turkish delegation in Baghdad, the Iraqi National Security Council banned the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a move that was welcomed by the Turkish government. 

Turkiye in March also proposed setting up a joint operation center with Baghdad to fight the PKK. Currently, the Turkish army is engaged in operations against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region, which has led to the displacement of Kurdish villagers.

On July 8, Minister Khalid told reporters that “the PKK must leave those regions so that the civilians there do not face problems and suffer.”

However, on July 10, the Iraqi National Security Council rejected the legitimacy of Turkish operations on Iraqi soil and urged Turkiye to coordinate “with the Iraqi government for any security-related matters.”

Coordination between Iraq and Turkiye on Turkish military operations is likely to be the main subject of the Iraqi visit.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said that during Minister Hussein’s visit, the first meeting of the Turkiye-Iraq Joint Planning Group will be convened under the co-chairmanship of Minister Fidan and his Iraqi counterpart.

Moreover, on the same day, the fourth meeting of the High-Level Security Mechanism will be held as well, with the attendance of Turkish Minister of National Defense Yasar Guler, Turkish National Intelligence Organization Director Ibrahim Kalin, Deputy Minister of Interior Munir Karaloglu, and their Iraqi counterparts, under the co-chairmanship of Ministers Fidan and Hussein.

Before the Iraqi visit to Ankara, Minister Hussein chaired the August 11 Higher Security Committee meeting in Baghdad, which also included Minister Khalid and other top Iraqi officials.

According to the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the meeting focused on joint and military key issues between Baghdad and Ankara and on combating terrorism, coordination, and “the options available for strengthening common security.”




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