Iraq, Türkiye 'need more cooperation' in security: Foreign minister

By Serife Cetin

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein sat down with Anadolu on the margins of the 78th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, discussing a range of issues including the Development Road Project, fighting the PKK terrorist group, energy, and security.

Hussein said Türkiye and Iraq need to cooperate more in some areas, especially security issues, noting that a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would help advance ties between the two countries.

The following is the interview:

Question: During the G-20 summit, the India-Middle East-Europe trade route was mentioned. Türkiye and Iraq have very multidimensional and multilayered relations and have been working together on the Development Road Project. It has been portrayed as a faster and more reliable road with benefits for regional countries. Economically, socially, and politically, what does the project entail?

Hussein: As you mentioned, we have a multidimensional relationship with Türkiye. As for the project, it is a strategic project which links (the) Faw (Peninsula) and the south of Iraq, so Basra with Türkiye, and through Türkiye with Iraq.

So it is really an important project for Iraq but also for the region.

Question: President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan is expected to pay an official visit to Iraq soon. What do the two sides expect from the visit?

Hussein: Of course, we are really eager to have President Erdogan in Baghdad and in Iraq in general. It has been a while since he was in Iraq, I think three years ago.

So the relationship between both sides is good. And I think his visit will push this relationship further and will advance these ties between both countries. So we expect a lot from his visit.

Question: Do we expect any breakthroughs during this visit? Are there any anticipations?

Hussein: As we said (about) the multidimensional relationship with Türkiye, so we have various fields, and we hope that we can advance in areas in which we are cooperating with each other.

But there are also some issues. We must deal with these issues together and find solutions for these issues together. So we need more cooperation on some issues, especially on security issues.

Question: How do you think the energy cooperation between Türkiye and Iraq will evolve in the near future? Do you think the second set of arbitration decisions and procedures have a negative effect on oil reaching international markets?

Hussein: There is a problem there, I would say, which was one of the problems that affect our relationship, but we are determined to find a solution for this through dialogue and communication.

There are two things: One, Iraq cannot anymore export (oil) in this case. Iraqi Kurdistan cannot, anymore, export through the pipeline which goes through Türkiye to Ceyhan. And the second one has to do with the arbitration case in Paris, (in) which Türkiye is not satisfied with the whole process.

I think we must sit together and find a solution for both. Either we are going to this linkage, water issues, so the Paris case will not have to do with the pipeline, or if there is this linkage between the issue in Paris and the pipeline and opening the pipeline, so that the Kurdistan region can export oil.

We must discuss it and find a way. Iraq is suffering because of the closure of the pipeline and the Kurdistan region cannot export about 400,000 barrels a day, and nowadays, of course, the price of oil is very high. And that means we, in general, and Iraqi Kurdistan especially are losing money.

Question: You have given important messages that have a direct impact on the Tehran-Baghdad-Erbil triangle. The duration that was given to Iran in order to relocate affiliated forces will be over on Sept. 19. What is the latest situation since the deadline is approaching?

Hussein: I was in Tehran a few days ago and I had a fairly lengthy and good discussion with my colleague, the minister of foreign affairs (Hossein Amir-Abdollahian).

Also, I had a very good and fruitful discussion with President (Ebrahim) Raisi, the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The discussion, part of it was about the deadline and how we are dealing with these groups inside Iraqi Kurdistan. There is a security agreement between Baghdad and Tehran and also cooperation between Baghdad and Erbil about how to deal with these groups.

And then KRG (Kurdish Regional Government) in Iraqi Kurdistan, in cooperation with the federal government, was able to convince some groups which were active on the border.

They had the kind of military activities to convince them to come down, and now they are in kind of refugee camps which have been established; five refugee camps have been established for them, and we deal with them as refugees.

You see, we are committed to our constitution, the Iraqi Constitution, which does not allow any organization from Iraqi soil to attack neighboring countries.

So on the basis of our constitution, the Iraqi Constitution, we dealt with these groups. But thank God, we were able to have this dialogue, positive dialogue and negotiation with the Iranian side, so that they will stop attacking Iraqi Kurdistan, (and) as a result, attacking Iraq.

Question: While trying to strengthen Turkish-Iraqi security relations, how do you evaluate efforts to render the PKK (terror group) ineffective? The PKK has been operating inside Iraqi territory and violating the sovereignty of both Baghdad and the Kurdish region. How can Türkiye and Iraq cooperate to overcome this terrorist threat?

Hussein: You see, between any two countries, there’ll be a healthy relationship, and a healthy relationship mainly depends on mutual interests and on not intervening in the internal affairs of each other.

So on the basis of two principles, we are dealing with this issue.

In the first place, once again, coming back to the Iraqi Constitution. The Iraqi Constitution doesn’t allow any group, any organization to operate on Iraqi soil against any other country.

So that means we’ve got a clear position from the activities of the PKK and Iraqi soil, but the issue is very complicated. The PKK came into Iraqi Kurdistan in 1991 when the system, Saddam’s (Hussein) power collapsed, so it was possible for the PKK to come in and they took in remote areas, let’s say close to the Iranian border, but also close to the Turkish border.

In these remote areas, they took their places and their bases. And this created a huge problem in the first place for Iraqi Kurdistan, but also a problem for Iraq as a country. So how to deal with those people and, of course, they’ve got their weapons.

So we are talking about a few thousand people who have got their weapons and they are active in these remote areas. So we understand the concern of the Turkish side about having the PKK in these areas close to the Turkish border.

But at the same time, it is difficult to understand why now and then, there are attacks on Iraqi soil and attacking the PKK. I think that as we did with the Iranian side, there is no way except to sit down together.

I mean the Iraqi federal government included, also the regional KRG government, so that we can reach a plan, a plan of how to deal with this problem, but also a plan to not have attacks on Iraqi soil because this, for both sides, is really a headache.

So we must find a solution. The only solution is through negotiations and peaceful means.

Question: Minister, you call it a problem, but what prevents the Iraqi government from calling the PKK a terrorist organization or designating it officially as a terrorist organization?

Hussein: In the end, it is not about calling this organization a terrorist organization or not.

We are taking the opinion of the Turkish government into consideration and we are dealing with the concern of the Turkish government.

So the main question (is) how can we cooperate? I mean the KRG government within the Iraqi government together and with the Turkish government.

How can we plan together so that we can get a solution for these kinds of problems? There are different kinds of ways to reach a solution.

Now (with) the Iranians, for example, we reached a security agreement, okay. Let’s discuss this matter with the Turkish side so that we can find a way to deal (with it) security-wise.

I mean protecting the security of Türkiye, but at the same time protecting the sovereignty of Iraq. To solve this problem, I think, through negotiations, we can reach an agreement.

Question: As a major political party in Iraq, the KDP (Kurdistan Democratic Party) has the right to operate all around the country. But there was a big discussion in recent weeks regarding the return of the main KDP building from the Iraqi security forces and that created unrest in the city. Now the Iraqi judiciary is involved and things have gotten calmer. Who do you think benefited the most from what happened in Kirkuk?

Hussein: I’m not trying to find out who benefited from (it), but I think those who are against democracy, those who are against the coexistence of different components of the society and also components inside Kirkuk must see, as Iraq must stay a city of peace and a city of living together, all groups or components of the society.

Iraqi society must live together. So those who created these problems were against peace and against democracy. But in the end, I think the Iraqi federal government with the cooperation, with the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government, we found solution.

And I’m sure that within a short time, the KDP as a party, which actually is one of the founders of this political process in Iraq after 2003, the KDP will function in Kirkuk as it functions and is being active everywhere inside Iraq.

Question: Will Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meet with US President Joe Biden in the near future?

Hussein: An official meeting is not on the agenda. But we are going to have a meeting with (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

(Slight changes were made to clarify the minister’s remarks)

*Servet Gunerigok in Washington contributed to this story​​​​​​​