2024-04-18 00:21:18
Turkey and Iraq will sign a strategic agreement covering cooperation in combating the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and ensuring border security, during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Baghdad next Monday.
The issues of water, energy, cooperation in combating terrorism, the activity of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, and the “Development Road” project will top the agenda of the discussions during Erdogan’s first visit to Iraq in 12 years, which may also take him to Erbil.
Erdogan confirmed, in statements on Tuesday night – Wednesday, following the Turkish Council of Ministers meeting chaired by him in Ankara, that the water issue will be one of the most important agenda items during the visit to Iraq. Erdogan said: “We are studying requests submitted by the Iraqi side regarding water. We will seek to solve this problem with them… They want us to solve it, and our steps will be in this direction.” He added: “There are also issues related to the flow of natural gas and oil to Türkiye, and we will seek to address them as well.”
The Turkish President hinted at the possibility of visiting Erbil after the end of his discussions in the capital, Baghdad.
In a speech during a meeting of the parliamentary group of the ruling Justice and Development Party at the Turkish Parliament headquarters on Wednesday, Erdogan stressed that his country will never give up the war against terrorism. He added: “We will make our country and our nation safer, at home and abroad… In matters related to Turkey’s security, we will seek to obtain our rights without retreat.”
Fighting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
In turn, Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Guler said, “A safe corridor 30 kilometers deep has already been established on our border with Iraq. However, we have more work to do there, and we are already working.”
Guler added, in statements prior to the meeting of the Parliamentary Group for Justice and Development: “Activities within the scope of the war against terrorism are continuing. We have made our plans, and the work is continuing. Our President (Erdogan) will be in Iraq on Monday, for the first time in many years. We will sign a strategic agreement, our Iraqi friends.” They did not declare the PKK a terrorist organization, but for the first time they accepted a term close to that.”
Baghdad declared the Kurdistan Workers’ Party a banned organization during the high-level Iraqi-Turkish security meeting in the Iraqi capital on March 13, stressing that it would not accept it as a source of threat to its neighbors through its territory.
Regarding the items that will be included in the strategic agreement and whether they include establishing a safe zone 30 kilometers deep, Guler said: “A safe corridor 30 kilometers deep has already been established. The issue is not whether it will be created or not, but there are some other things that we must do.” “It’s there, and we’re working on it.”
Regarding these matters, the Turkish Defense Minister said: “We say that there is (Qandil) and there is (Gara). Shouldn’t we deal with them?” Regarding whether Erdogan will go to Erbil after visiting Baghdad, Guler said: “What I know is that there is a visit to Iraq.”
Discussions with America
In the same context, Turkish officials discussed coordination on regional security and combating terrorist organizations, especially the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, with the US Under Secretary of State for Administrative Affairs and Acting Under Secretary for Political Affairs, John Bass, during his visit to Ankara on Monday and Tuesday.
During his meeting on Monday, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan touched on the issue of combating the Kurdistan Workers’ Party and the American support provided to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, which constitute its arm in Syria, and which cause disputes with Turkey.
The file was also discussed during the meeting of the American and Turkish delegations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara on Tuesday, in which the Turkish side was headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Burak Akçabar, where Turkey’s aspirations regarding the fight against the “Kurdistan Workers’ Party” and the “Kurdish People’s Protection Units” were emphasized, which was discussed. Also during a meeting with Bass and the Turkish President’s National Security Advisor Akif Çaktay Klıç.
Joint operation
Turkey seeks to eliminate the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in northern Iraq, and sever its connection with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units, the largest component of the American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as part of the war against ISIS, in cooperation with Baghdad.
In this context, a series of meetings were held, starting with a high-level security meeting in Ankara on December 19, followed by mutual visits by the foreign and defense ministers and intelligence and security officials of the two countries, in addition to visits by Turkish officials to Erbil.
Turkey wants to launch a broad military operation to eliminate the presence of the “Kurdistan Workers’ Party” in northern Iraq in cooperation with Baghdad, which linked its participation in these efforts to cooperation in the energy, water and transportation files, in addition to the development road project, which was welcomed by Ankara.
Turkish sources confirmed that plans for a major operation to eliminate the “Kurdistan Party” are ready, and its implementation is expected to be discussed during Erdogan’s visit to Baghdad, and that it aims to completely close the 378-kilometre-long border to a depth of 40 kilometres, similar to what is being worked on in northern Syria.
She said that the operation aims to reach the border line, including the “Gara” area known for the caves and shelters of the “Kurdistan Workers’ Party”, to destroy it, and to place the area under the permanent control of the Turkish forces to prevent it from using it again. The governments of Baghdad and Erbil are expected to provide intelligence support, and that They take measures against the PKK in Sulaymaniyah and Sinjar.
The impact of the Iranian-Israeli conflict
Erdogan had confirmed in previous statements that Turkey will complete the establishment of a safe zone in Iraq next summer, 40 kilometers deep, and will complete work on the safe zone in northern Syria as well.
However, military experts believed that developments in the region may affect the Turkish military operation in northern Iraq and lead to its delay.
Retired Brigadier General Ali Er said that the end of the conflict between Iran and Israel is not yet clear, and of course this situation will affect the military operation that Turkey is planning in Iraq.
He promised that it would be beneficial for Turkey to maintain its current position in Iraq until the direction of the compass of the Israeli-Iranian conflict becomes clear, saying: “There is a necessity to strengthen cooperation between Turkey and Iraq. Turkey must maintain its influence through back-door diplomacy on the Iraq issue, and stay away from… About being an interlocutor for the forces that have demands in the region during this period.”
He warned that the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Iran could create greater security problems for Turkey in Syria, and Turkey must ensure its security in Syria.
Development path
The development road project constitutes an important item on Erdogan’s agenda in Iraq. In statements last Friday, Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Oraloglu revealed a Turkish-Iraqi decision to establish a joint mechanism similar to the “Ministerial Council,” which may also include the UAE and Qatar, to follow up on the project.
He said that the development road project is among the important issues that will be discussed within the framework of enhancing cooperation between Turkey and Iraq during Erdogan’s visit to Baghdad, pointing out that important steps were taken during the past year regarding the “development road,” and rounds of ministerial discussions were held between the two countries to develop cooperation, As a result of our regular meetings with Iraq, we decided to establish a mechanism similar to a ministerial council between the two countries. Oraloglu added: “We await the participation of the UAE and Qatar, along with Turkey and Iraq, in the Ministerial Council.”
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