Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Sunday that Iraq currently treats the PKK as a terrorist organization.
He made this statement to reporters following his participation in the fifth meeting of the Turkey-Iraq High-Level Security Mechanism, held on the sidelines of the 4th Antalya Diplomatic Forum in southern Turkey.
He added, “Currently, the PKK is being treated as a terrorist organization by Iraq. Baghdad has declared the PKK a banned organization.
But whether it is a banned or terrorist organization is irrelevant; it is sufficient that it is an illegal organization. What matters here is the stance taken toward the organization.”
Fidan explained that the meeting was very fruitful and that the text of a joint statement was prepared, noting that the two sides reviewed the work accomplished so far in the field of security.
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Fidan emphasized that Turkey and Iraq are closely monitoring developments in the region, saying, “Together, we reviewed existing security issues, primarily the fight against terrorism, as well as potential security developments.”
It is worth noting that the Iraqi government instructed state institutions last July to label the terrorist organization PKK as a “banned organization” in their official correspondence.
This came on the instructions of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who requested the use of the term “banned organization” to refer to the PKK in correspondence between state institutions.
