Türkiye, Iraq forge stronger ties at 5th high-level security meeting in Antalya

Türkiye and Iraq wrapped up their 5th High-Level Security Mechanism meeting in Antalya on April 13, with both nations committing to enhance bilateral relations in several key areas, including security, military cooperation, counterterrorism, and infrastructure development.

The meeting brought together senior officials, including Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler, Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalın, and Deputy Interior Minister Münir Karaloğlu, alongside Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hüseyin, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media. 

The joint statement released at the meeting emphasized both countries’ shared dedication to political unity, territorial integrity, and sovereignty. 

A major focus of the discussions was strengthening military and border security coordination, particularly regarding the PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party), which has long used northern Iraq as a base for attacks against Türkiye. Both countries reiterated their commitment to tackling this shared threat, including support for PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan’s recent call for the group to dissolve and cease armed operations.

One of the key outcomes of the meeting was the announcement that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani will visit Türkiye on May 8, where the two countries will hold the next High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting. This visit is expected to further solidify institutional cooperation between Türkiye and Iraq. 

The two nations also addressed urgent humanitarian concerns, particularly the crisis in the Al-Hol and Roj camps in Syria. They agreed to form a new committee to handle the growing humanitarian needs in these areas. Furthermore, both sides expressed support for a joint operations center as part of the “Quint Mechanism”, a counterterrorism initiative launched in March in Amman. In addition, the joint statement highlighted concerns over Israel’s actions in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, and welcomed positive developments from recent US-Iran talks in Oman.

By Naila Huseynova