President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al Sudani reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening security cooperation on Thursday, underlining the need for cooperation against the PKK, Daesh and other terrorist groups.
“We reaffirmed our determination to continue the fight against the PKK, FETÖ (Gülenist Terror Group) and Daesh, which pose a threat not only to Türkiye’s national security but also to Iraq’s,” Erdoğan said at a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart in the capital Ankara.
Noting that Iraq’s peace and stability are never considered separately from Türkiye’s own, he said there’s no place for terrorism in the future of the region.
Al Sudani, for his part, said, “We consider Iraq’s security as part of Türkiye’s security,” adding the Iraqi government’s stance on the PKK remains firm.
The PKK is a “banned organization” in Iraq, Sudani said, vowing that Baghdad does not allow any group to use Iraqi territory to launch attacks against Türkiye.
Al Sudani arrived in Türkiye as the neighboring countries work to enhance cooperation and mend past tensions. Recently, the two countries have deepened cooperation on security, including addressing the PKK presence in northern Iraq. Last year, Iraq announced that the Iraqi National Security Council had issued a ban on the PKK, although it stopped short of designating it as a terrorist organization.
The Iraqi prime minister’s visit also comes after the PKK’s jailed leader, Abdullah Öcalan, called on his group to lay down arms. Turkish officials have said that the group is now expected to hold a congress in northern Iraq, during which it would announce its dissolution.
Al Sudani said, “We welcome the political process and the disarmament path concerning the PKK.”
Development Road
“I would like to express this with great satisfaction: We do not view our relations with Iraq, with whom we share deep historical, human and cultural ties, as merely bilateral state affairs. We consider the development of cooperation in all areas as a requirement of our fraternal bond,” Erdoğan added.
The two also discussed steps to rapidly implement the Development Road Project – a large-scale infrastructure plan to connect the Persian Gulf with Türkiye by constructing highways and rail links from southern Iraq to the Turkish border.
Erdoğan extended an invitation to all interested countries to take part in this strategic initiative.
On the trade volume between the two nations, Erdoğan said that the trade volume reached $18 billion last year.
Water management
Another critical topic between the two neighbors has been water management. “Through the Water Framework Agreement signed last year and the cooperation mechanisms we’ve established, we are focusing on implementing joint projects with Iraq, including the rehabilitation of infrastructure,” Erdoğan pointed out.
“We emphasized the need for a fair understanding that respects the interests of both sides, by principles of equity and good neighborliness,” the Iraqi prime minister said, on the other hand.
In recent years, Iraqi officials have complained that dams built by Türkiye are reducing Iraq’s water supply.
The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, which provide most of Iraq’s fresh water, originate in Türkiye. Experts fear climate change will likely exacerbate existing water shortages in Iraq.
“Our position is that water levels in the dams are at a minimum and at the same time, Iraq has received very little rainfall this year,” Sudani said.
Regional developments
Sudani added that the regional developments were also discussed, noting that Ankara and Baghdad share common views on Palestine and Gaza.
“A massacre is taking place in Gaza,” he added.
He underlined that both countries hold principled and aligned positions, stand in solidarity and agree that the attacks and ongoing threats against Gaza must be stopped.
He emphasized that Iraq’s stance on Syria is clear: “We see Syria as part of our national security.”
He called for an inclusive government in Syria that protects minority rights and sacred sites without exception and ensures the absence of violence.
He said these issues were discussed with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and underlined that Daesh remains a serious threat to all and to regional security, which must be jointly addressed and eliminated.
Noting the consequences of Israel’s aggressive policies that began in Gaza and later expanded to Lebanon and Syria, Erdoğan said: “Israel thinks it can ensure its own security by drowning the region in blood, tears and instability, but it will become increasingly clear over time that this is a sheer illusion.”
Pointing to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, Erdoğan said that with Israel’s complete halt of humanitarian aid entry, the danger of famine has reached a catastrophic level that could lead to mass deaths.
“My dear brother and I agreed on the need to do everything in our power, including increasing pressure on Israel,” he further said.
11 pacts inked
On the same day, the two countries also signed 11 pacts, including information and communication technologies, the defense industry and higher education, following a one-on-one and inter-delegation meeting between the two leaders.
An agreement on standard implementation procedures for the voluntary return and reintegration of Iraqi nationals was signed by Türkiye’s Directorate General of Combating Irregular Migration and Removal Affairs and Iraq’s Migration Affairs Department at the Migration and Displacement Ministry.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) on training cooperation was signed by the interior ministries of both countries.
Another MoU on training cooperation was signed between the Gendarmerie General Command of Türkiye’s Interior Ministry and the Iraqi Interior Ministry.
An agreement on combating the illicit trafficking of narcotics and psychotropic substances was signed by the two countries.
In the field of disaster and emergency management, Türkiye’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) and Iraq’s National Center for Crisis and Disaster Management at the Ministry of Interior signed an MoU.
The two countries also expanded a 2009 agreement on information and communication technologies through an additional protocol signed by officials from Türkiye’s Transport and Infrastructure Ministry and Iraq’s Communications Ministry.
Another MoU was signed between AYDA International Integrated Defense Systems and Iraq’s Al Zaman group for General Trading Contracting and Shipbuilding L.L.C.
In higher education, Türkiye’s Council of Higher Education and Iraq’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research agreed to establish branches and educational programs for Turkish universities in Iraq.
Türkiye’s Industry and Technology Ministry and Iraq’s Ministry of Planning signed a cooperation agreement in metrology.
Türkiye’s National Defense Ministry and Iraq Military Industry Commission signed an MoU for indigenization in the defense industry.
The justice ministries of both countries signed an MoU for legal cooperation.