Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler said Turkey will establish a joint counter-terrorism operations center with Iraq.
Guler spoke on efforts to confront the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in a conversation with youth in the city of Kahramanmaras and said in the future Turkey will work with Iraq on setting up a joint operations center.
He stated Erbil authorities’ attitude toward the joint venture is very positive.
The defense minister said the issue was not only “terrorism” from the PKK but also the issues of energy, agriculture, and water. He stated a joint committee will be formed for each of these areas and work was currently underway for this purpose.
He criticized previous Iraqi administrations for not designating the PKK as a terrorist organization.
“We have been fighting the PKK for 40 years, but unfortunately the Iraqi authorities have not been able to recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization or as a banned and illegal organization,” he said.
Guler said the Turkish side emphasized the issue of declaring the PKK a terrorist organization at a meeting in Ankara on December 19, 2023, and that the Iraqis made their decision for the first time at that meeting.
“Turkey welcomes the decision of the Iraqi National Security Council to outlaw the PKK,” a joint statement said. “The PKK is a threat to the security of both countries,” it said.
