Iraqi parliament condemns Erdogan’s statement and Turkish incursion

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The Iraqi parliament on Tuesday condemned the Turkish incursion in Iraq, calling on the government to take legal and diplomatic measures against it.

The Iraqi parliament held a session discussing several topics, including the Turkish military base near Bashiq, northern Mosul, and the latest statement by the Turkish President about the Mosul operation.

“We reject the Turkish parliament’s decision over the incursion into Iraqi soil, and we reject the presence of any other forces in Iraq,” an Iraqi parliament representative said.

On December 4, 2015, Turkey deployed hundreds of troops to the Zelkan military base near Bashiqa in Nineveh Province in order to train Sunni forces. 

Mosul is the second-largest city in Iraq located in the north of the country. Islamic State (IS) has occupied the city since June 2014.

The Iraqi parliament with the presence of 189 MPs voted on a seven-point decision that also called upon the Iraqi government “to take all necessary, diplomatic and legal measures to protect the sovereignty of Iraq, and to reconsider economic and trade relations with Turkey.”

The parliament’s decision asks the government to consider the Turkish troops in Iraq as a hostile and occuping force, urging the government to take action and expel the invading forces out of the Iraqi soil.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Turkish parliament on Saturday that Turkey will play a role in the Mosul offensive and no one can prevent Turkish troops from participating in the operation.

After Mosul is retaken from IS, only Sunni Arabs, Turkmen and Sunni Kurds should be allowed to remain in the city, Erdogan said.

“The Iraqi Council of Representatives condemns Turkish president’s divisive and seditious statement among the components of Iraq,” the parliament decision added.  

Answering Kurdistan24’s correspondent, regarding Erdogan’s remarks on Mosul liberation operation, Elizabeth Trudeau Director of Press Operations at the US State department said in a press conference on Tuesday, “all of Iraq’s neighbors need to respect Iraqi sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Trudeau added that “Turkey is a key member of the counter-ISIL coalition. We’ll continue to work with them and we’ll coordinate with them as they also seek to achieve their national security goals.”

On Tuesday, the Turkey’s Foreign Ministry condemned the Iraqi parliament’s decision to call “Turkish trainers” in Bashiq, northern Mosul as occupying forces, Turkish media sources reported.

Editing by Ava Homa

(Laurie Mylroie from Washington contributed to this report)