Türkiye says foreign minister's Iraq remarks distorted by some outlets, reaffirms support for Iraqi sovereignty

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan's recent remarks about Iraq were misrepresented by some Iraqi media outlets, a statement released by the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, reaffirming Ankara's commitment to cooperation with Baghdad on security and counterterrorism.

Fidan's comments, made during an interview, had been taken out of context, ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli's statement stressed.

"It appears that certain statements made by H.E. Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, during an interview on a television channel on 9 February 2026 have been distorted by some media outlets in Iraq," the statement said.

It emphasized that Türkiye has established institutional, constructive, and productive cooperation with Iraq in almost all fields, including security and counterterrorism, and aims to further advance this cooperation in the period ahead.

"The statements made by Minister Fidan in the aforementioned interview, based on this understanding of cooperation, are intended to draw attention to the threat posed to Iraq's territorial integrity and security by the PKK terrorist organization, which has established itself in parts of Iraqi territory, particularly in Sinjar, Makhmur, and Qandil," it added.

In this context, it said, Fidan highlighted Türkiye's determination to ensure the complete eradication of the terrorist organization from Iraqi territory, as in Syria, and the necessity of sustaining and further strengthening existing cooperation with the Iraqi administration in this field.

"We therefore reject the distortion of Minister Fidan's statements by certain circles, taken out of context and portrayed as interference in Iraq's internal affairs," the statement said.

It also reiterated Ankara's support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Iraq.