Merve Aydogan
10 January 2023•Update: 11 January 2023
ANKARA
Cooperation and counter-terrorism were on the agenda in a phone call on Tuesday between Türkiye's president and Iraq's prime minister.
Türkiye "believes that bilateral and regional cooperation will further enhance in all fields in the coming period," Türkiye's Recep Tayyip Erdogan told neighboring Iraq's Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, according to a statement by the Turkish Communications Directorate.
Underlining that for Türkiye, Iraq's peace, stability, and territorial integrity were as important as its own, Erdogan pointed to the need to "end the existence of the PKK terrorist organization in Iraq for the country's national security interests."
In its more than 35-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 over 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.
Ankara has been carrying out several anti-terror offensives in northern Iraq to root out terrorists who hide in these areas and plot cross-border attacks on Türkiye.
