Iraq on Tuesday called Türkiye “an important partner” in efforts to facilitate regional stability as the Middle East grapples with the aftermath of the Syrian revolution, and Israel’s attacks on Gaza, Lebanon and Syria.
“Türkiye and Iraq are working to strengthen cooperation to deal with common challenges such as the fight against terrorism and border management,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein was quoted as saying in a statement from his office.
Hussein met with reporters, journalists and media representatives as part of the fourth Antalya Diplomacy Forum held in the Turkish Mediterranean city of Antalya over the weekend, the statement said.
Ankara and Baghdad wrapped up their 5th High-Level Security Mechanism meeting in Antalya on Sunday, emphasizing political unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The two sides reaffirmed their determination to improve collaboration in areas like energy, infrastructure projects, military affairs, border security and counterterrorism, notably against the PKK terrorist group.
Senior cadres of the PKK, which have killed thousands of people in Türkiye since the 1980s, are hiding out in the mountainous northern region of Iraq. Iraq has been a hotbed of PKK activity and Türkiye occasionally carries out cross-border operations against the group there. In 2024, Iraq declared the PKK a banned organization after the third meeting of the mechanism in Baghdad in May 2024.
The Iraqi diplomat also spoke about the Syrian crisis, noting that the stability of the country following 14 years of civil war was a “critical factor” for the overall stability of the region.
Both Türkiye and Iraq share a border with Syria where anti-regime forces toppled Bashar Assad in a lightning offensive in December. But southern Syria has been under attack and occupation from Israel, which took advantage of the brief security vacuum during the anti-regime operation.
Ankara and other regional actors have condemned Israel’s incursions for destabilizing the region.
“External interventions, especially Israel’s constant attacks on Syrian territory, are complicating the situation and increasing tensions,” Hussein said.
He also called Israel’s relentless military campaign in Gaza a “clear violation of international law” and emphasized that Iraq supported the rights of the Palestinian people.
The Iraqi minister also expressed his wish to see the U.S.-Iran negotiations on the latter’s nuclear program “end with a preliminary agreement that would eliminate the threat of war.”