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Iraq summoned Türkiye's ambassador on Wednesday to protest Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's comments about PKK terrorist group members in Iraqi territory, calling the remarks an "offense to friendly relations" and "interference in Iraqi internal affairs."
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned Ambassador Anil Bora Inan following Fidan's Feb. 9 interview on CNN Turk, in which he suggested Türkiye could launch military operations in Sinjar and questioned Iraq's sovereignty for tolerating PKK presence.
"Deputy Foreign Minister for Bilateral Relations Ambassador Hussein Muhammad Bahr Al-Ulum expressed Iraq's displeasure with the statements circulated in the media," the ministry said in a statement.
"They represent an offense to friendly relations between Iraq and Türkiye, constitute interference in Iraqi internal affairs and a breach of diplomatic norms," Bahr al-Ulum told the Turkish envoy.
The Iraqi official emphasized that Iraq is "a state of institutions with a democratic constitutional political system and cannot be compared to other countries with different political systems."
Bahr al-Ulum stressed that the Sinjar file and all other Iraqi territories are "a purely national matter" being handled according to national priorities and mechanisms.
"We reject any external interference to impose solutions or to use this file for political or military influence," he noted.
Iraq's firm response came after Fidan questioned how "a sovereign state" could allow the PKK to occupy vast swathes of territory and hinted that "changes in the region may happen soon" in Sinjar, Makhmour and Qandil.
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Ambassador Inan explained that Fidan's statements were "misunderstood due to incorrect translation," according to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement.
He said the minister's remarks were related to PKK elements present in Iraq, "and have nothing to do with Iraqi internal affairs or Iraqi citizens."
Inan affirmed that Türkiye's policy toward Iraq is "consistent, respects its sovereignty and does not interfere in its internal affairs."
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Turkish ambassador "emphasized his government's keenness on the strength of relations between the two countries," the ministry said, adding that he would convey Iraq's position and reservations to his leadership.
In his CNN Turk interview on Feb. 9, Fidan said the PKK's presence in Iraq will increasingly become a major issue after developments in Syria.
"After the Syrian side is resolved, there is the Iraq side. Hopefully, Iraq will draw lessons from what has happened here and make wiser decisions so that the transition there will be easier," Fidan said.
The Turkish foreign minister criticized Baghdad for failing to view the PKK's presence as a national security threat.
"The Iraqi government is allowing its territory to be occupied by another armed element. It doesn't perceive this as a national security threat. Who does it consider a national security threat? I don't know," Fidan said.
He noted that Iraq has sufficient capacity to deal with the PKK and pointed to potential cooperation with the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF/Hashd al-Shaabi).
"If Hashd al-Shaabi advances on the ground while we conduct air operations, this would take two or three days. It is a very simple military operation," Fidan stated.
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