Iran denies Erdogan's claim regarding joint anti-PKK action
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday announced that contrary to claims, Iran has no plan of action “outside the borders,” referring to claims made by Turkey’s President on Monday about a joint anti-PKK action.
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday announced that contrary to claims, Iran has no plan of action “outside the borders,” referring to claims made by Turkey’s President on Monday about a joint anti-PKK action.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed Tehran and Ankara could conduct a joint military operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) “at any moment.”
Erdogan’s statement followed his meeting last week with the Iranian Chief of General Staff Mohammad Baqeri.
“We [Tehran and Ankara] as the members of the same faith [Islam] discussed an imminent joint operation against this terrorist group,” said Erdogan at a press conference at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport before an official trip to Jordan.
Tasnim news agency, which has strong links to the IRGC, denied Erdogan’s remarks but added Iran would continue to punish any attacks within its territory.
The agency added the opposition “which has sheltered in northern Iraq and with support from Iran’s enemies has repeatedly received massive blow backs” would be harshly punished for any skirmish across the border.
The PKK along with other armed Kurdish groups including its Iranian offshoot the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK) as well as the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) and Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan are all based in the Kurdistan Region’s Qandil mountains that straddle along the Iran-Iraq border.
The Turkish President’s statements came as Kurdistan prepares to hold an independence referendum on Sep. 25.
The move has drawn pronounced opposition from both regional powers who fight Kurdish groups demanding self-rule.
“We, along with our chiefs of staff, talked about diplomatic and military dimensions of such cooperation,” Erdogan said, according to the state-funded Anadolu Agency.
“As you know, the PKK terror group’s franchise in Iran is PJAK. They continue to harm us and Iran,” he added.
When the President of the Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani announced the referendum in June, Turkey’s pro-government, Islamist Yenisafak newspaper claimed Ankara was considering military intervention against the PKK bases in Iraq that could potentially disrupt the Region’s plans for independence.
Although rivals in their regional foreign policies, both the Islamic Republic of Iran and Turkey share similar views regarding demands for federalism by Kurds within their borders, and those backed by the US in Iraq and Syria.
NATO members Turkey and Iran recently agreed to build a 144 kilometers-long (90 miles) wall along their porous border to deny PKK fighters freedom of movement.
The border was last changed when the two nations exchanged a small chunk of territory at the beginning of the 1930s to help a young Turkish state crush the short-lived Republic of Ararat declared by the Kurds.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany