BAGHDAD 

Baghdad and Ankara continue negotiations to find a solution to the PKK terror problem, which is important not only for the national security of the two countries but also for the Development Road Project. 

"We definitely do not find their (PKK terror) activities legal and acceptable,” Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Hisham al-Alawi told Anadolu.

Alawi underlined the significance of understanding each other's concerns and work together instead of acting unilaterally.

“Negotiations are currently ongoing on the solution of the PKK problem. This is important not only for the national security of the two countries but also for projects such as the Development Road,” he added.

On the solution to the PKK problem, he said they do not have a fixed model. “But we definitely do not believe that we will solve this problem with unilateral actions,” he added.

Describing the PKK as a "complex" issue, he said PKK’s presence in Iraq is "illegal.”

In its nearly 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK– listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. the YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.  

Development Road Project

Alawi said the Development Road Project will contribute not only to the Iraqi economy but also to regional countries such as Türkiye, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

The project is not only about railways and highways, rather industrial cities will also be built within the scope of the project, he added.

"In order to benefit from the Development Road Project, especially for Iraq and Türkiye, we must not only build the infrastructure but also create the right environment at the regional level as well as in Iraq and Türkiye,” he said.

Stressing that Iraq attaches importance to working with its neighbors for regional stability, he said their vision is to work together to end the conflicts and wars in the region.

“If there is no peace, we cannot achieve economic integration,” he said, adding that the two countries should increase their commercial diversity.

The Development Road Project encompasses railway and highway lines extending from the Grand Faw Port in Basra through the cities of Diwaniyah, Najaf, Karbala, Baghdad, and Mosul to the Turkish border, aiming to provide access from the Turkish border to Mersin Port and onward to Europe via Istanbul by road.  

*Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara