Iraq summoned the charge d'affaires of the Turkish embassy there to hand him a protest note, in which he expressed his strong dissatisfaction and condemnation of the presence of the Turkish Defense Minister in its territory without coordination or prior approval.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued Monday evening that the Undersecretary of the Ministry Nizar Al-Khair Allah summoned the Turkish Chargé d'Affairs and handed him a protest memorandum that included condemning the statements of Turkish Interior Minister Suleiman Soylu regarding his country's intention to establish a permanent military base in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, noting that the protest memorandum included "condemning a meeting with a minister The Turkish defense forces, with Turkish forces, are "illegally" inside Iraqi territory.
Al-Khair Allah affirmed - according to the statement - that the government categorically rejects the continuing violations of Iraqi sovereignty and the sanctity of Iraqi lands and airspace by the Turkish military forces, indicating that continuing with such an approach is inconsistent with friendly relations, good neighborliness, and relevant international laws and norms.
And he stressed, "The need to remind the neighbor, Turkey, that relying on unilateral military solutions cannot be the effective way to settle common security challenges."
A few days ago, the Turkish Defense Minister made an inspection visit to one of his country's bases in the Kurdistan region, accompanied by the Chief of the General Staff and the commander of the ground forces, according to the Anadolu news agency.
# Akar inspects a Turkish military base in northern Iraq # Iraq
, Turkish Defense Minister: - Neutralizing 44 PKK terrorists, as part of the "Lightning" and "Thunderbolt" operations
- The fight against terrorism will continue until the last terrorist is neutralized.
https://t.co/frtFqndGer pic.twitter.com/HtrBjkhnKl
- ANADOLU AGENCY (AR) (@aaarabic) May 2, 2021
And Turkish media reported that the Interior Minister said during a closed meeting of the ruling Justice and Development Party, last Friday, that Ankara will proceed with its military operations near its borders in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
In a related context, an official in Kurdistan stated that the Turkish army had seized important sites at the summit of Mount Kista in the region on Sunday, amid continuing battles with the PKK militants in separate areas of the region.
"After clashes between the Turkish army and the militants of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which lasted for several days, the Turkish army managed to seize tunnels and important sites for the militants deep in the Kista mountains, Serbast al-Akrawi, director of the Kani Masi district, said in a statement to the German News Agency. Which were used by the Workers Party as bases for its fighters and hide during the Turkish air strikes. "
Ankara carries out several operations from time to time, targeting the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged an insurgency since 1984 in southeastern Turkey, where the Kurdish majority lives.