Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Monday that the presence of the PKK terror organization in Iraq will increasingly become a major issue, stressing that Baghdad will eventually have to take clear action against the group operating on its territory.
Speaking in a live interview with CNN Türk, Fidan said that after developments in Syria, attention will inevitably turn to Iraq.
"There is also an Iraq dimension to this (PKK) issue," he said. "After the Syrian side is resolved, there is the Iraq side. Hopefully, Iraq will draw lessons from what has happened here (in Syria) and make wiser decisions so that the transition there will be easier."
Fidan said the Iraqi government will be forced to demonstrate political will regarding the PKK, arguing that the terror group's presence — particularly in the Sinjar region — cannot and should not continue.
Asked whether Iraq would ultimately reach the position of declaring that no armed organization can operate within its borders, Fidan replied "Yes."
He noted that Iraq's acknowledgment of the PKK as a problem has largely remained "rhetorical" over the past five years, beginning during the tenure of former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Under current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Fidan said, the issue has increasingly moved to the center of discussions in Baghdad, including at meetings of Iraq's National Security Council.
"Our argument has always been this: the PKK is an organization established against Türkiye, but it doesn't occupy or control any territory within Türkiye. However, in Iraq, conversely, it occupies vast swathes of land. It also occupies territory in Syria. The problem has become more your problem than mine. What kind of sovereign state allows an armed organization to exist on its territory in this way?"
Fidan said Iraq has sufficient capacity to deal with the PKK and that Ankara is aware of the reasons the group continues to be tolerated.
The minister pointed to the situation in Sinjar, noting that the area is surrounded by the Iraqi group Hashd al-Shaabi, or the Popular Mobilization Forces, and that he has held around 20 meetings with the head of Hashd al-Shaabi, Falih al-Fayyad.
"If Hashd al-Shaabi advances on the ground while we conduct air operations, this would take two or three days," Fidan said. "It is a very simple military operation."
He criticized the Iraqi government 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 also addressed questions about the possibility of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki returning to office, saying Türkiye does not favor or oppose any leader who comes to power through elections or parliamentary processes.
"Whoever comes to office, we will work with them," he said.
However, he acknowledged concerns stemming from problems that emerged during al-Maliki's previous term, noting that US President Donald Trump's opposition to al-Maliki's candidacy would likely carry weight in Iraq.
Fidan pointed to existing UN Security Council resolutions related to Iraq and said the country's oil revenues remain subject to US oversight.
"If a certain amount of dollars does not come from New York to Iraqi banks every month, the Iraqi economy has no chance of functioning," he said. "Such a mechanism still exists. The United States has many levers in its hands."
Last month, Trump warned that Iraq could face consequences if al-Maliki is returned to power.
