PM Barzani, Turkish foreign minister praise Erbil-Ankara ties

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday received Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Erbil, praising the strong relations between Erbil and Ankara and pledging to resolve issues between the two. 

Fidan arrived in the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil earlier in the day and was received by the Region’s interior minister and other officials, in his first visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region since assuming the role of foreign minister. He later met with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, discussing bilateral relations and ways to expand ties. 

Barzani and Fidan talked about "the significance of the resumption of the Kurdistan Region's oil export through Turkey's Ceyhan port and the removal of all obstacles and issues in this regard," according to a statement from Prime Minister Barzani's office. 

“We discussed a range of regional issues, including bilateral Iraq-Turkey relations and also with the Kurdistan Region, as well as the mechanism of exporting the Kurdistan Region’s oil,” Prime Minister Barzani said in a press conference with Fidan. 

While touching on Erbil-Ankara bilateral ties, Fidan said that “Erbil was always a safe and security city during times where Iraq would undergo conflict.”

“We see this as something important and are ready for all assistance to make sure this goes on,” he added. 

Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar also attended the meeting. 

A fruitful exchange today with Türkiye Energy Minister @aBayraktar1 in Erbil. We agreed on the importance of resuming oil exports from the Kurdistan Region through Ceyhan.

We also discussed additional ways to increase bilateral trade with Türkiye, including energy cooperation. pic.twitter.com/KEWqbFKZLu

— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) August 24, 2023

Barzani also assured Fidan that the Region “will fill its constitutional obligation by not allowing any parties to use its land as a launchpad for attacks on neighboring countries,” with Ankara frequently complaining that Iraq does not do enough to curb the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) from carrying out cross-border attacks into Turkey.

The PKK is an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey and designated a terrorist organization by Ankara, who has launched several operations targeting the group and its alleged offshoots in the Kurdistan Region and Syria. 

While praising Erbil’s support in “the fight against terrorism,” Fidan said that the PKK “is now hiding in Iraqi territory” and pledged to “cleanse Iraq of this virus together.”

“Both with Baghdad and Erbil administrations, we insisted on clearing Iraq of PKK terrorism. That is why we are happy and ready to provide all kinds of support to both administrations,” he said. 

As Fidan was meeting top Kurdish officials in Erbil, a Turkish drone killed three suspected PKK fighters in Erbil province’s Sidakan, Kurdish counterterrorism forces said.

On Thursday, a Turkish soldier died of his injuries after being attacked by the PKK in northern Duhok province, the Turkish defense ministry said. 

In a press conference with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein on Tuesday, Fidan called on Baghdad to recognize the PKK as a terrorist organization, saying the group has infiltrated Iraqi cities and poses a threat to its security and stability. 

He called the PKK a “common enemy,” saying that Baghdad and Ankara must not allow the group “to poison our bilateral relations.”

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