Iraq and Turkey agree to end Turkish military presence at base in northern Iraq

Baghdad - 23 - 9 (KUNA) -- The Iraqi and Turkish governments agreed on Wednesday to end the Turkish military presence at the Baashiqa-Zelikhan camp in northern Iraq and hand it over to the federal government in accordance with an agreed-upon timeline and mechanism.

A joint statement issued following a meeting between Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly stated that both sides agreed to deepen security cooperation in various fields. They affirmed the full assertion of the Iraqi state’s authority in the city of Sinjar, located in Nineveh Governorate, and the elimination of the presence of prohibited foreign armed elements.

The statement clarified that the handover of the camp is based on the progress Iraq has made through its on-the-ground security steps. It noted that both sides agreed to expand the scope of trade and investment exchanges between the two countries, immediately implement the signed agreements, and accelerate the completion of joint strategic projects.

It is worth noting that Turkish forces have been present at the Baashiqa-Zelikhan camp in northern Iraq since 2014. Their presence sparked a dispute between Baghdad and Ankara, as the Iraqi government at the time considered the deployment of Turkish forces in the camp without the consent of the federal government a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty.

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