Latest news with #Irak
Asharq Al-Awsat
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Erdogan Urges Damascus to Follow Through on Agreement with SDF
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on the Syrian government to stay focused on implementing the agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) regarding their integration into state institutions, emphasizing that Ankara is closely monitoring the issue. Erdogan revealed that Türkiye, Syria, Iraq, and the United States have formed a joint committee to discuss the fate of ISIS members and their families held in camps and detention centers in northeastern Syria. These areas are controlled by the SDF, which is led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), a group supported by the US but considered a terrorist organization by Ankara. He added: 'Iraq must focus on the camp issue, as most of the women and children in Al-Hol camp are Syrian and Iraqi, and they must be repatriated.' In remarks to Turkish journalists accompanying him on his return flight from Budapest on Thursday, Erdogan stated: 'We are closely following the issue of the Kurdish People's Protection Units in particular. We consider the coming days to be critically important. It is essential that the Damascus administration does not lose focus on this matter. Our institutions are closely monitoring the process of integrating all armed groups into the Syrian army.' The Agreement Between Damascus and the SDF Erdogan asked whether 'the Kurdish units will respond to the call issued in Türkiye to dissolve the PKK (by its imprisoned leader Abdullah Öcalan)? Or will they remain committed to the March 8 agreement, reached in Damascus (between interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi on integration into state institutions)? Or will they pursue both paths?' He further stressed that the process of dissolving the PKK and disarming it also includes its Syrian branch (the YPG). The Turkish president affirmed that lifting sanctions on Syria is a 'highly significant step' toward achieving regional stability, describing it as a sign of how 'constructive Turkish diplomacy yields results.' Kalin's Visit to Damascus Meanwhile, the head of the Turkish intelligence agency visited Damascus on Monday and held talks with al-Sharaa, Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani, and Syrian intelligence chief Hussein al-Salama. Kalin discussed with Syrian officials the integration of SDF fighters into the Syrian army, like other groups after disarmament, as well as border and customs security, and the transfer of prisons and camps holding ISIS members to the Syrian government. He expressed Türkiye's readiness to provide all necessary support to the Damascus government in this process. Talks with Israel In a related context, Turkish Defense Ministry spokesperson Zeki Akturk highlighted ongoing efforts to establish stability in Syria and to ensure the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of refugees. He stated: 'Our operations to uncover and destroy mines, explosive devices, and tunnels in Syrian operation zones continue uninterrupted. Our determined cooperation persists to ensure lasting security in Syria, a country whose sovereignty and territorial integrity we support, and to enhance its defense and security capabilities.'
Asharq Al-Awsat
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Türkiye Says in Talks with Baghdad, Erbil on PKK Weapons Handover
Türkiye is in talks with authorities in Baghdad and in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil on how Kurdish militants of the PKK will hand over their weapons, President Tayyip Erdogan said following the group's decision to disband. "Talks are being held with our neighbouring countries on how the weapons of terrorists outside our borders will be handed over," Erdogan said, according to a transcript of remarks he made to journalists on his return flight from Albania overnight. "There are plans regarding how the Baghdad and Erbil administrations will take part in this process," he added. The PKK , which has been locked in bloody conflict with Türkiye for more than four decades, has decided to disband and end its armed struggle, group members and Turkish leaders said earlier this week on Monday.
Asharq Al-Awsat
09-05-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Türkiye and Iraq Reaffirm Commitment to Work Against Kurdish Militants, Other Security Threats
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening security cooperation on Thursday, vowing to work against threats, including Kurdish militants based on Iraqi territory. Al-Sudani arrived in Türkiye as the neighboring countries are working to enhance cooperation and mend past tensions. Relations between Türkiye and Iraq were often strained over Turkish military incursions into northern Iraq for operations against the banned Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, and the establishment of Turkish military bases there. Baghdad frequently condemned the incursions as a violation of its sovereignty, while Ankara accused Iraq of not doing enough to fight the PKK. More recently, however, the two countries have deepened cooperation on security, including addressing the PKK presence in northern Iraq. Last year, Iraq announced that the Iraqi National Security Council had issued a ban on the PKK, although it stopped short of designating it as a terrorist organization. Erdogan said the two "reaffirmed our determination" to fight against the Kurdish militants, the ISIS group and against members of network that Türkiye accuses of being behind a failed military coup in 2016. "We once again emphasized that terrorism has no place in the future of our region," Erdogan said. Al-Sudani said: "What affects Iraq's security affects Türkiye's security and vice versa." "According to our constitution, we do not allow any group to use Iraqi territory to attack neighboring countries," he said. Erdogan also named former minister Veysel Eroglu as his special envoy to Iraq. On Thursday, officials inked 11 agreements, including in trade and defense, to advance cooperation between the two countries. Erdogan stressed the urgency of resuming oil shipments through an Iraqi-Turkish pipeline. The oil pipeline running from the semi-autonomous Kurdish region to Türkiye has been shut down since March 2023, after an arbitration court ruling ordered Ankara to pay Iraq $1.5 billion for oil exports that bypassed Iraq's central government in Baghdad. The sharing of oil and gas revenues has long been a contentious issue between Baghdad and Kurdish authorities in Erbil. Al-Sudani said water supplies to Iraq were also discussed. He said committees were continuing meetings to agree on mechanisms for water management projects. "We emphasized the need for a fair understanding that respects the interests of both sides, in accordance with principles of equity and good neighborliness," the prime minister said. In recent years, Iraqi officials have complained that dams built by Türkiye are reducing Iraq's water supply. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, which provide most of Iraq's fresh water, originate in Türkiye. Experts fear that climate change is likely to exacerbate existing water shortages in Iraq. "Our position is that water levels in the dams are at a minimum, and at the same time, Iraq has received very little rainfall this year," al-Sudani said. The two also discussed steps to rapidly implement The Development Road Project - a large-scale infrastructure plan to connect the Arabian Gulf with Türkiye by constructing highways and rail links from southern Iraq to the Turkish border. The Iraqi prime minister's visit comes after the PKK's jailed leader, Abdullah Ocalan, called on his group to dissolve and disarm as part of a new peace initiative with Türkiye. The group declared a unilateral ceasefire in March and is now expected to hold a congress in northern Iraq, during which it would announce its dissolution, Turkish officials have said. The PKK, which has maintained bases in northern Iraq's semiautonomous Kurdish region, has fought Türkiye for an autonomous Kurdish state. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives since the 1980s. Türkiye and its Western allies have designated the PKK a terrorist organization. Al-Sudani said: "We welcome the political process and the disarmament path concerning the PKK."
