Iraqi PM receives Turkey's intelligence chief in Baghdad
According to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Kalin expressed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's intention to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries through collaboration.
The two sides discussed approaches to enhance coordination between Iraq and Turkey to strengthen stability in border areas as well as throughout the region.
The meeting comes after the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) announced last week that its fighters in northern Iraq would begin handing over their weapons.
According to a statement released by the PKK, a group of militants will leave the mountains and surrender their weapons in an attempt to demonstrate their support for democratic politics and peace.
A ceremony scheduled between July 10 and 12 in the city of Sulaymaniyah in the Kurdistan region of Iraq will mark the first tangible step toward disarmament, according to the statement.
The PKK announced a ceasefire with Turkey earlier in 2025 in response to a call from its leader, Abdullah Ocalan, who is presently serving a life sentence, to dismantle and disarm the organization.
In late February, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs hailed the call made by Ocalan to his party to lay down arms.
The ministry viewed this endeavor as a critical step in improving security throughout the region, not just in Iraq, where PKK fighters are active in various parts of Iraqi Kurdistan and a few other places.
Turkey, the United States, and the European Union have all designated the PKK, which has fought for decades, as a terrorist group.
The party's decision to disband is a significant milestone in regional geopolitics, and it may reduce long-standing tensions, notably in Iraqi Kurdistan, where PKK members remain.
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