Turkey and Iraq Hold High-Level Talks on Security Cooperation

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Setting aside historical tensions over Turkey’s military action against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants in Iraq, senior Turkish and Iraqi officials are meeting in Ankara on Thursday for high-level talks on security cooperation, Media Line reports.

Iraq and Turkey have clashed in the past over Turkish cross-border operations against the PKK, which Turkey said was necessary for its security, but which Iraq considered a violation of its sovereignty. The PKK has been engaged in an insurgency against Turkey since 1984 and is recognized as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union.

Citing a Turkish diplomatic source in its report on this week’s talks, Media Line notes: “Relations between the two countries have improved since last year, following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Baghdad in April, where both sides agreed to elevate their cooperation.”

“During this visit, a Joint Planning Group was established, headed by the foreign ministers of both countries. Thursday’s meeting marks the first session of this group,” Media Line said.

This week’s talks will focus on implementing 27 agreements signed during Erdoğan’s visit and on future cooperation, Media Line reports. “A key focus is the ongoing work to establish a joint operations center for the region, which Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler described as a “turning point” in counterterrorism efforts,” Media Line said.

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