Turkey and Iraq reached an important agreement on September 23 to gradually transfer the Turkish military base in northern Iraq to the Iraqi government. This agreement was made following negotiations in New York and also includes ending the presence of "illegal armed elements" in northern Iraq.
Agreement on Establishing Government Sovereignty in Sinjar
In this framework, the parties agreed to establish full government sovereignty in Sinjar and to end the presence of illegal foreign armed elements. These elements particularly include Kurdish fighters, some of whom are stationed in the mountainous region of Sinjar in northern Iraq. Turkey is continuing a peace process that it hopes will lead to the disarmament of these fighters from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the end of a decades-long conflict.
Read more: Turkey Agreed to Transfer Controversial Bashiqah Military Base to Iraq
Details of the Bashiqah-Zilkan Base Transfer
A statement on Wednesday emphasized that "based on the agreed mechanism and timeline" and the security measures taken by Iraq, Turkish forces will gradually hand over the Bashiqah-Zilkan base, a military facility in northern Iraq near Mosul, to the Iraqi government. An Iraqi military commander familiar with the details of the negotiations announced that the gradual withdrawal of Turkish forces from the Bashiqah base and another small base near Mosul is expected to be completed by the end of this year. However, Turkey has not yet provided a statement regarding the timeline.
In 2015, Ankara deployed its forces near Mosul, stating that their aim was to train and protect Iraqi forces and local Sunni Arab, Turkmen, and Kurdish fighters preparing to combat ISIS. This deployment led to a dispute with Baghdad, which demanded the withdrawal of the forces, while Ankara claims that these forces were deployed as part of an anti-ISIS training mission. Turkey still has several bases in the region, which it claims were established to protect Turkey's national security.
Reactions to the Agreement
The recent agreement has been welcomed by Tom Barak, the U.S. ambassador to Turkey and the special representative of the U.S. in Syria and Iraq. He stated that "the sovereignty of Iraq and the security of Turkey are both ensured by this action." Such statements are a sign of international support for this agreement and joint efforts to strengthen security and stability in the region.
The agreement on the transfer of the military base and the end of the presence of illegal armed elements can be viewed as a positive step towards strengthening relations between Turkey and Iraq and improving the security situation in northern Iraq. However, there is a need for careful monitoring and implementation of these agreements to prevent any new tensions or unrest.
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