Normalization with Türkiye not possible amid border violations, says Iraq's president

Photo: AA

"Türkiye's presence on our borders increased, is more concrete, and in a way that is unacceptable," Iraq's President Abdul Latif Rashid stated in an interview with news portal Rudaw, while attending the ongoing World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.

"At the last meeting with their diplomats, I indicated that our relations can not be normalized when violations at our borders continue. Sometimes the violations reach as far as the Sulaymaniyah mountains," the statesman explained. He added that, "the Kurdish People, the Iraqi people, the Kurdistan Regional Government, and the Iraqi Government do not accept these violations and have provided the necessary answers.

Türkiye has a long history of cross-border operations in both Syria and Iraq. But after a bomb attack on November 13 that killed six people and injured dozens in İstanbul's popular tourist area of Taksim, Türkiye increased its presence on its borders and launched airstrikes in the north of Syria and Iraq, targeting Kurdish groups that it held responsible.

When asked about Türkiye's recent violation of Iraq's territorial sovereignty from both the air and ground, President Rashid answered that it does not accept these trespassings but also points out that Türkiye is an important partner.

"The Kurdish region, the Iraq Government, the Iraqi people, and the Kurdish People are against and do not accept Türkiye's incursion in Iraq, both from the air and from land. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry warned Türkiye many times," the head of state answered.

"We need to share the water equably"

"We see Türkiye as an important neighbor, and we have strong trade with the country. More importantly, Iraq's water sources come from Türkiye," the head of state stressed that both Iraq and Türkiye's need for water increased. "Nonetheless, we need to share the water equable," he said.

Water over the years has become an increased fault between Türkiye and Iraq. Türkiye dammed many essential waterbodies in the area, such as the Euphrates and Tigris. These rivers rise in Türkiye and flow through Syria and Iraq. Baghdad frequently criticizes that these barrages impact its river levels.

"We also need to come to an agreement with Türkiye, because sometimes our water share is reduced so much that we come to the point where we cannot continue our agricultural activities," President Rashied affirmed.

Furthermore, the statesmen emphasized that no country is allowed to violate their borders, when responding to the question whether these warnings also count for Iran. "We also complain about Syria when terrorists cross our borders," he said.

In addition to Türkiye, Iraq's neighbor Iran has lately been active in Iraq. On September 28, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched drone and artillery strikes against Iranian-Kurdish bases in Koya, northern Iraq, killing at least 13 and injuring over 58 people. (WM/VK)