Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Hussein Bahr Al-Uloom meets Turkish Ambassador Anil Bora Inan at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Baghdad on Feb. 11, 2026.
Iraq summons Turkish ambassador over Fidan remarks on Sinjar
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Turkish ambassador Wednesday to convey reservations over statements by Turkey’s foreign minister and reaffirm its rejection of any interference in internal affairs.
The ministry hosted Ambassador Anil Bora Inan following comments by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a CNN Turk interview Sunday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Hussein Bahr al-Uloom expressed Iraq’s dissatisfaction, saying the statements “represent an offense to the friendly relations between Iraq and Turkey” and “constitute interference in Iraqi internal affairs and a breach of diplomatic norms.”
Bahr al-Uloom said Iraq is “a state of institutions with a democratic constitutional political system, and cannot be compared to other countries with different political systems.”
On Sinjar, he stressed that “the file of Sinjar and other Iraqi areas is a purely national matter, handled according to national priorities and mechanisms,” reaffirming “the rejection of any external interference to impose solutions or use this file for political or military influence.”
The Turkish ambassador said the foreign minister’s remarks were “understood inaccurately due to incorrect translation,” explaining that Fidan’s comments concerned Kurdistan Workers’ Party members present in Iraq and “have no relation to Iraqi internal affairs or Iraqi citizens.” He said Turkey’s policy toward Iraq “is firm, respects its sovereignty, and does not interfere in its internal affairs.”
In his CNN Turk interview, Fidan said Turkey was determined to end the PKK’s presence in Iraqi territory, hinting at possible military operations in Sinjar and Makhmour.
“After finishing the Syrian side regarding the SDF and the PKK, there is also the Iraqi side, which must make a wiser decision,” Fidan said. “The PKK was established against Turkey, but it does not have any territory in Turkey that it occupies or can occupy. In Iraq, on the contrary, it occupies vast areas of land.”
The remarks come as the PKK pursues a peace process with Ankara. The group announced in May it would dissolve its military structures and abandon its armed struggle, following a video message from jailed founder Abdullah Ocalan. In October, the PKK began withdrawing fighters from Turkey to bases in northern Iraq, urging Ankara to pass laws securing political rights for former combatants.