Iraq summons Turkish Ambassador, gives him 'strongly worded' letter of protest

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi Foreign Affairs Ministry summoned the Turkish Ambassador to Iraq, Ali Riza Guney, and handed him a "strongly worded" letter of protest on Tuesday over Turkey's latest cross-border operation against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

In a press release, the foreign ministry said it summoned the Turkish ambassador following continuous violations by the Turkish Army, including the latest Turkish military operation in the Metina al-Zab, Afashin, and Bassian areas of the Kurdistan Region's Duhok province. 

"The ministry handed the Turkish ambassador a strongly worded protest note calling for an end to such provocative acts and the unacceptable violations," read the press release. "The Iraqi government renews its demand for the withdrawal of all Turkish forces from Iraqi lands in a manner that reflects binding respect for national sovereignty."

The press release underlined that "Iraq has the legal right to take the necessary and appropriate measures in accordance with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations and the rules of international law in the face of such hostile and unilateral acts, which take place without coordination with the Iraqi government."

The press release also pointed out "that the use of Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations in the aggression cases by the Turkish forces is not based on legal grounds, as the article above does not allow the violation of the sovereignty of an independent country."

"Here, we recall that the presence of the majority of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) elements in northern Iraq came as a result of an agreement between the Turkish government and the party above, coinciding with Iraq's rejection and protest of what we see as the export of an internal Turkish challenge to the territory of Iraq," it added.

"For all of the above, violating Iraq's sovereignty will not be an appropriate ground for finding participatory and sustainable solutions to security challenges, which prioritize increasing security cooperation between the two sides as an effective way to achieve the desired interests and face challenges," it concluded. 

Early Monday, Turkey launched Operation Claw-Lock, an air and ground operation against the PKK in the Kurdistan Region's border areas. On Monday afternoon, the Turkish defense ministry announced that four of its soldiers were injured, and 19 PKK militants "neutralized" in the operation. 

Fighting between the Turkish military and the militant group has displaced villagers in the Kurdistan Region's Duhok province and damaged farmland and livestock that locals depend on for their livelihoods.