Türkiye Seeks Tripartite Cooperation with Baghdad and Erbil Against PKK

Türkiye Seeks Tripartite Cooperation with Baghdad and Erbil Against PKK.
Türkiye Seeks Tripartite Cooperation with Baghdad and Erbil Against PKK.
TT

Türkiye Seeks Tripartite Cooperation with Baghdad and Erbil Against PKK

Türkiye Seeks Tripartite Cooperation with Baghdad and Erbil Against PKK.
Türkiye Seeks Tripartite Cooperation with Baghdad and Erbil Against PKK.

Türkiye is intensifying efforts to bolster intelligence and security cooperation with Iraq, aiming to tighten control over the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and its supporters in northern Iraq. The initiative involves the exploration of a tripartite cooperation mechanism between Ankara, Baghdad, and Erbil.
Head of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Ibrahim Kalin held two rounds of talks with officials in Baghdad and Erbil during two visits to Iraq in less than a week.
During his visit last week, Kalin met with Iraqi President Abdullatif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Shiite and Sunni groups, and Turkmen representatives.
On Sunday, Kalin met with Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Chair Masoud Barzani, KRG Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Interior Minister Reber Ahmed, and local administrators, as well as Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITC) head Hasan Turan and ITC Kirkuk Deputy Ersat Salihi.
Cooperation against the PKK
The officials delved into pressing regional developments, fostering ties between Ankara, Baghdad, and Erbil and enhancing cooperation in the ongoing fight against terrorism. Turkish sources have indicated a shared recognition of the PKK as a common threat to both Türkiye and Iraq.
The Turkish Air Force carried out targeted airstrikes in northern Iraq and Syria, responding to two separate PKK attacks that claimed the lives of 12 Turkish soldiers on December 23 and an additional nine soldiers on January 12.
Ankara issued a warning regarding potential collaboration between the PKK and the Democratic Union Party (PYD), hinting at the contemplation of new measures to counteract such alliances.
Linking security to the economy
In recent strategic maneuvers, Türkiye has shifted its focus to interlinking economic and security cooperation with the pivotal water issue.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Defense Minister Thabet Al-Abbasi held talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler, and Ibrahim Kalin on Dec. 19.
National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji, Head of the Popular Mobilization Forces Faleh Al-Fayyad, and the Minister of Interior of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Rebar Ahmed, accompanied Hussein.
The meeting resulted in a roadmap to boost bilateral cooperation.
Discussions tackled water and security files and the resumption of oil exports from Iraq through Türkiye.
The two sides highlighted cooperation in the fight against terrorism and efforts to stop the activity of the PKK in northern Iraq.
Turkish military presence
Over the past five years, Türkiye has executed a series of military operations, collectively known as the "Claw-Lock" in northern Iraq. Anchored in a novel security concept, the operations aim at eradicating terrorism at its source.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently declared that, by the upcoming spring, Türkiye will finalize the infrastructure for newly established bases in northern Iraq, rendering the region inaccessible to terrorists.



Arab League Urges UN Security Council to Stop Israeli Assault against Palestinian People

A man prepares meals to be distributed to displaced Palestinians in front of a leveled building in Gaza City on November 2, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A man prepares meals to be distributed to displaced Palestinians in front of a leveled building in Gaza City on November 2, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
TT

Arab League Urges UN Security Council to Stop Israeli Assault against Palestinian People

A man prepares meals to be distributed to displaced Palestinians in front of a leveled building in Gaza City on November 2, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
A man prepares meals to be distributed to displaced Palestinians in front of a leveled building in Gaza City on November 2, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

The Arab League urged on Saturday the UN Security Council and the international community to assume their responsibilities and exert pressure on Israel to stop its assaut against the Palestinian people and to ensure that it provides all humanitarian assistance needed by the people in Gaza Strip.

In a statement marking the 107th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, the Arab League urged Britain and all the other countries that did not recognize the Palestinian state to take this step in support of peace in line with the two-state solution.

It emphasized that the only way to achieve just, comprehensive and lasting peace is to end the Israeli occupation of all Palestinian and Arab territories occupied since 1967, and to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital according to international resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative.

"The Balfour Declaration continues to be a profound wound in the human conscience due to the Nakba that the Palestinian people have experienced and the ongoing deprivation of their legitimate and inalienable rights to freedom and independence. This refers to the Israeli occupation's violations and practices, settlement and Judaization, annexation and siege, the destruction of the Palestinian people's livelihoods, and the desecration of their religious shrines," the Arab League statement said.

It stressed that Israel's continued crimes and violations are a reflection of the international community's inability to fulfil its obligations and assume its responsibilities in resisting aggression and occupation, protecting the Palestinian people.

It must ask Israel to comply with the principles of international law and relevant resolutions in a manner that ends the occupation and allows the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination in an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Arab League stressed that Israel continues to insist on expanding the area of its hostilities to include Lebanon and the occupied Syrian Golan Heights despite the imminent danger of a regional war.

Moreover, the Israeli Knesset's decision to ban UNRWA's work in the occupied Palestinian territories is an additional flagrant violation of the UN Charter, of the international will, and of all human values.

The aim of this step is to destroy generations of Palestinians for whom the UN agency represents a lifeline in catastrophic humanitarian conditions. It is imperative that Israel stop these crimes and protect the agency's work in accordance with its UN mandate.