A source from the Iraqi Presidency informed Channel8 that Baghdad told a Turkish delegation of senior officials on Thursday there was still an opportunity for negotiations if Turkey stopped military operations and drone attacks on the Kurdistan Region’s territory.
The source said Ankara has insisted on expanding operations to areas they consider necessary and that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) threatens their national security. According to the source, the Turkish side has expressed its intention to launch a military campaign by land and air.
According to Channel8, the meeting on security discussed basic issues, including Baghdad’s recognition of the PKK as a terrorist organization, and the issue of water resources from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
According to reports, Iraq has put security and water issues into a package, and Baghdad seeks a negotiation that would exchange cooperation on security with an increase in water resources in order to allow Iraq to protect itself from the effects of climate change.
Iraq wants to restructure its security and military relations with Turkey, especially the presence of Turkish military bases and headquarters, which have become a problem for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and National Intelligence Agency (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalin arrived in Baghdad on Thursday to attend a security summit between the two countries and meet with senior Iraqi officials.
According to a statement following the meeting, Turkey said it welcomed the decision from the Iraqi National Security Council to ban the PKK in Iraq.
