Türkiye, Iraq to establish joint security coordination center

Türkiye and Iraq will set up a joint security coordination center in Baghdad under the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the two countries’ defence ministries.

The MoU covers military cooperation, security, and counterterrorism efforts, Caliber.Az reports per Turkish media.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan announced the signing of the agreement on August 15, following a high-level security meeting held in Ankara, which included the foreign ministers, defence ministers, and intelligence chiefs of both nations. Details of the document were not provided by the minister.

The agreement lays the legal groundwork for cooperation in counterterrorism. The new joint center will be based at the central operational headquarters of the Iraqi Armed Forces. However, the personnel assigned to the center will remain under their respective commands. The center will facilitate intelligence sharing, military planning, and coordination between the two countries in their fight against terrorism.

The memorandum also includes provisions to transform the Turkish military base in Bashiqa—previously a point of contention between the two countries—into a joint training and cooperation center. This change will allow Turkish forces to train Iraqi personnel and collaborate in combating the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), (banned and recognised as a terrorist group in Türkiye) and the terrorist group Islamic State (IS).