Turkish Foreign Minister urges Iraq to classify PKK as terrorist group
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan urged Iraqi authorities on Tuesday to classify the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) as a terrorist organization.
Fidan made the call during his inaugural visit to Baghdad, where he met with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein.
Fidan said that the PKK poses a "shared threat" to both Turkey and Iraq and that its activities could "adversely affect" their bilateral ties. He called on the Iraqi government to follow Turkey's lead in designating the PKK as a terrorist organization.
For his part, Fuad Hussein said that Iraq is "committed to fighting terrorism" and that he would take Fidan's concerns into consideration. However, he did not say whether Iraq would change its designation of the PKK.
Fidan's visit to Baghdad comes as Turkey is seeking to improve its relations with Iraq. The two countries have a number of shared interests, including security and economic cooperation. (ILKHA)