Numan Kurtulmuş: We fulfill our obligations in Iraq and Syria

Baku. 5 October. REPORT.AZ/ "Turkey fulfills its obligations in order to keep territorial integrity of Iraq and Syria".

Report informs citing Habertürk, Deputy Turkish Prime Minister, Spokesperson of the Turkish government Numan Kurtulmuş said, commenting on the Iraqi parliamnet's decision on Bashiqa.

"It is difficult to understand such a decision. We will not allow Bashiqa to become a topic for discussion. However, we are ready to cooperate with Iraq's central government in Bashiqa", he stressed.  

"We fulfill our obligations in Iraq and Syria", Kurtulmuş added.

On October 4, Iraq’s parliament asked the government to send a diplomatic note to Turkey’s ambassador to Baghdad, to describe Turkish troops in the country as “hostile occupying forces,” and to reconsider trade and economic ties with Turkey. The Iraqi parliament also rejected Turkish lawmakers’ recent decision to extend the mandate on authorization of the government for cross-border military operations into Iraq.  

In a written statement on October 4, the Turkish Foreign ministry condemned the Iraqi Parliament’s characterization of Turkish troops in Bashiqa, assigned for the training ofSunni forces against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as “occupiers.”        

Iraq's parliament Tuesday rejected Turkish lawmakers' decision to extend the mandate.

Turkish Foreign Ministry statement urged Iraqi authorities to "take the friendly hand offered by Turkey" to the benefit of Iraq and the region "in a period which is so critical in terms of fighting ISIL".

In the resolution passed Tuesday, in addition to the “occupiers" characterization, Iraq's parliament called on the government to send a diplomatic note to Turkey's ambassador to Baghdad and also to reconsider trade and economic ties with Turkey.