ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Turkish Prime Minister Benali Yildirim said his country's deployment of troops to northern Iraq is a necessary measure, adding that current condemnations coming from Baghdad are "incomprehensible."
"There are soldiers from 63 countries in Iraq," said Yildirim. "Claims toward Turkey about its military presence are an unfriendly step. Turkey will maintain its presence in Iraq."
He made the remarks during a meeting of business people in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also defended the Turkish deployment.
"We support Iraq's fight against terror," Cavusoglu said. "The Bashiqa camp was not founded recently. It was established within the knowledge of the Iraqi government with the objective of training local forces against Daesh (Islamic State/ISIS)."
According to Hurriyet news Cavusoglu made the statements at a press conference with Serbia's visiting foreign minister late on Wednesday.
The minister went on to claim that Turkish forces have to date killed an estimated 750 ISIS militants from Bashiqa.
"Our stance is clear," Cavusoglu declared, "We want a strong and stable Iraq. 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."
"We do not want to see a sectarian Iraq. We regard the entire Iraqi people as our brothers," he added.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said on Thursday that the presence of Turkish troops in Bashiqa town was done with Baghdad’s consent and knowledge to train the Nineveh province’s Sunni volunteer forces.
“Two training bases were set up in Bashiqa and Dubardan near Mosul to train the police and Nineveh province’s volunteer forces,” said Safeen Dizayee, adding that “the KRG facilitated the process.”
He revealed that even “the (ousted) Iraqi defense minister Khalid al-Obedi had visited the Turkish military bases near Mosul.”
Dizayee reiterated that the KRG “is not aware of any other program in this regard.”
The diplomatic crisis between the two countries over Bashiqa began last December when Turkey sent additional troops to the Bashiqa base, which has faced sporadic ISIS attacks since that time, something Ankara has argued justifies its deployment of extra troops.
"There are soldiers from 63 countries in Iraq," said Yildirim. "Claims toward Turkey about its military presence are an unfriendly step. Turkey will maintain its presence in Iraq."
He made the remarks during a meeting of business people in the Turkish capital, Ankara.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also defended the Turkish deployment.
"We support Iraq's fight against terror," Cavusoglu said. "The Bashiqa camp was not founded recently. It was established within the knowledge of the Iraqi government with the objective of training local forces against Daesh (Islamic State/ISIS)."
According to Hurriyet news Cavusoglu made the statements at a press conference with Serbia's visiting foreign minister late on Wednesday.
The minister went on to claim that Turkish forces have to date killed an estimated 750 ISIS militants from Bashiqa.
"Our stance is clear," Cavusoglu declared, "We want a strong and stable Iraq. 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."
"We do not want to see a sectarian Iraq. We regard the entire Iraqi people as our brothers," he added.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said on Thursday that the presence of Turkish troops in Bashiqa town was done with Baghdad’s consent and knowledge to train the Nineveh province’s Sunni volunteer forces.
“Two training bases were set up in Bashiqa and Dubardan near Mosul to train the police and Nineveh province’s volunteer forces,” said Safeen Dizayee, adding that “the KRG facilitated the process.”
He revealed that even “the (ousted) Iraqi defense minister Khalid al-Obedi had visited the Turkish military bases near Mosul.”
Dizayee reiterated that the KRG “is not aware of any other program in this regard.”
The diplomatic crisis between the two countries over Bashiqa began last December when Turkey sent additional troops to the Bashiqa base, which has faced sporadic ISIS attacks since that time, something Ankara has argued justifies its deployment of extra troops.
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