Türkiye hails Iraq's decision to ban PKK ahead of Erdogan's Baghdad visit

Türkiye has welcomed the Iraqi National Security Council’s decision to designate the PKK terrorist group as a banned organisation in Iraq.

Baghdad's decision was announced in a joint statement on Thursday after a security meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein along with their delegations in the Iraqi capital.

The statement comes close on the heels of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's proposed visit to the Iraqi capital after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan — a pivotal moment in the bilateral relations between the two nations.

Both countries confirmed that all efforts will be made for the success of President Erdogan's historic visit to Iraq, according to a joint statement.

"We discussed a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, and the upcoming visit," the Iraqi foreign minister said on X, formerly Twitter.

"We stressed the need to strengthen cooperation in the fields of security, trade, energy, water, education, and everything that is in the interest of our countries," Hussein added.

Both sides engaged in discussions on the measures to be taken against the PKK terrorist group and its affiliates that target Türkiye using Iraqi territory.

They stressed the threat posed by PKK to the security of both nations, noting that its presence in Iraqi territory violates Iraq's constitution.

The parties exchanged views on regional challenges, including the "massacre amounting to genocide" in Gaza, and strongly affirmed their support for the Palestinian cause.

Establishing a structural framework

Türkiye and Iraq have agreed to intensify efforts towards drafting a memorandum of understanding to establish a structural framework in various spheres of relations between the two countries, aiming to establish regular contact mechanisms, the statement said.

Turkish National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, the head of the National Intelligence Organisation [MIT], Ibrahim Kalin, and Deputy Minister of Interior Munir Karaloglu were among the Turkish delegation.

The two sides also decided to establish joint committees to work in the fields of counter-terrorism, trade, agriculture, energy, water, health and transportation, aiming to bolster bilateral relations.

The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union, took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984, killing more than 40,000 people.

The conflict was long fought mainly in rural areas of southeastern Türkiye but is now more focused on the mountains of northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

Türkiye has, since 2019, conducted a series of cross-border operations in northern Iraq against the PKK, dubbed "Claw".