“Any support to Iraq must conform to the principles of UN charter notably the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference. The Secretary General hopes the government of Turkey will ensure that all activities in Iraq are conducted with full consent of the government of Iraq,” Farhan Haq, the UN deputy spokesperson told Rudaw on Thursday.
On Wednesday, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a formal request to the current President of the UN Security Council, Vitaly Churkin, asking the council to convene an urgent meeting to discuss Turkish military presence on Iraqi soil and “interference in the Iraqi internal affairs,” reads a statement issued by the ministry.
The ministry cites a recent resolution of the Turkish parliament extending the mandate of Turkish troops in Iraq for another year and asked the Security Council to “bring to an end the current Turkish breach for the Iraqi sovereignty and the lack of respect for the principle of good-neighbourliness via releasing provocative statements.”
Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, speaking to Rudaw, confirmed that Iraq had drawn the council’s attention to the issue “and I informed the members of the Security Council about that conversation” but he could not state how the council planned to proceed.
Russia used to be the only voice at the UN strongly calling for the exit of the Turkish army from Iraq. Now, however, on issues between Baghdad and Ankara, neither Russia nor the US is ready to take sides but instead choose to remain neutral.
Ankara and Baghdad have sparred over Turkish troops based in the northern Iraqi town of Bashiqa, north of Mosul, where they have been training local forces in preparation for the operation to liberation Mosul from the Islamic State.
On Tuesday, the Iraqi parliament, in a majority vote, rejected an extension of the mandate of Turkish troops and called for a review of relations with Turkey. Baghdad has been demanding Turkey withdraw its forces since last December when Turkey sent additional forces to protect the base from ISIS attacks without explicit authorization from the Iraqi government.
Turkey maintains that it established the base with the knowledge of both the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). “Claims toward Turkey about its military presence are an unfriendly step,” Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım said. “Turkey will maintain its presence in Iraq.”
Turkey claims its troops are supporting the war against terror as well as Iraq’s territorial integrity. “We want a strong and stable Iraq,” said the country’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. “We attach great importance to Iraq’s territorial integrity and independence. The division of Iraq or instability inside the country is not in our interest.”
The spokesperson for the KRG said that the Kurdish government had “facilitated the process” of setting up two camps near Mosul to train local police and volunteer forces. Then Iraqi defense minister “Khalid al-Obeidi had visited the Turkish military bases near Mosul,” said Safeen Dizayee.
Each government has summoned each other’s ambassadors to express their position. The UN spokesperson Haq expressed hope that the matter could be resolved diplomatically.
“We do understand that the Turkish and Iraqi governments have held talks to resolve the matter amicably and the Secretary General does call upon the two parties to continue these efforts and he stands ready to support the parties if requested.”
