Iraq Condemns Turkish Foreign Minister’s Remarks on PKK

By Staff, Agencies

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry formally voiced objections to Turkey’s ambassador in Baghdad following comments by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, reaffirming Baghdad’s opposition to any foreign interference in its domestic affairs.

In an interview with CNN Türk, Fidan stated that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) operates in parts of Iraq and called on Baghdad to take a “more prudent decision,” suggesting that the group’s presence could be removed through a brief military operation. Iraqi officials considered these remarks diplomatically sensitive and confrontational.

Turkish Ambassador Anil Bora Inan was summoned to the Foreign Ministry, where Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations Ambassador Mohammed Hussein Bahr al-Uloom emphasized that Fidan’s statements were “inconsistent with diplomatic norms and potentially harmful to relations with Turkey.”

The Ministry stressed that Iraq is a constitutional state governed by democratic institutions, and matters concerning Sinjar and other Iraqi territories fall solely within national jurisdiction.

Fidan had urged Baghdad to demonstrate political will in addressing the PKK, arguing that the group poses a growing challenge to Iraqi sovereignty, more so than to Turkey.