By Oğuzhan Bilgin
Iraq was a “failed state” after the US invasion. On the one hand, it was being destabilized by the presence of the US occupation forces and a civil war over sectarian and ethnic identities, while on the other hand, it was being destabilized by terrorist organizations such as the PKK and DAESH that were ‘released’ on the ground. On top of that, the Shiite parties in Baghdad started to govern, which Iran turned into a suitable ground for itself to build a kind of tutelage.
A lot happened in the 20 years after the occupation… Throughout this whole process, Turkey has adopted an approach that prioritizes both its own and Iraq’s security, especially the protection of Iraq’s territorial integrity, stabilization and elimination of terrorist elements. Moreover, especially Mr. He followed a process that involved all actors in Iraq, including Mr. Hakan Fidan, and carried out intensive contacts with each of them. However, during this process, we have also seen various negative attitudes displayed by Iraq on issues such as Turkey’s cross-border operations against the PKK and the water issue.
We have seen that these negativities were especially directed against Turkey’s operations against the PKK within the scope of Turkey’s legitimate fight against terrorism, harsh statements were made even from the highest authorities in Iraq, and even diplomatic mechanisms were put into operation. This was a period in which Iraq was under the tutelage of both the US and Iran and had serious problems in terms of statehood and political stability.
In recent years, however, we have seen signs of normalization of both Iraq’s and Iraq’s relations with Turkey. As those who have been to Baghdad will notice, with the term of Shiya-es Sudani, who took the Prime Minister’s seat, Iraq has made significant progress in regaining statehood and stability in Iraq, and in parallel with this, Iraq has entered a new era based on the grounds of neighborliness and cooperation with Turkey. This was a new era in which Iraq took a more positive approach to Turkey’s fight against terrorism, included the PKK in the list of banned organizations and signed a giant project such as the Development Road, which could even affect world trade routes.
On the one hand, the progress of this process corresponded to a period in which the US and Iranian tutelage in Iraq was diminishing and Iraq was becoming independent and a state. On the other hand, the transformation of Israel into a serious threat to the entire Middle East after October 7 also necessitated regional cooperation.
I have already mentioned in this column that Iran, which has lost deterrence and credibility in recent months due to its inability to retaliate against Israel, will experience a serious loss of power and influence over its proxies and governments in the region. The areas where this situation can be observed most closely for us will be Iraq and Syria. The normalization process with both states will not only disturb the Iranian tutelage, but will also be tried to be prevented.
At this point, the downing of the Turkish UCAV over Kirkuk and the announcement of this incident to the cameras by an Iraqi officer, which was turned into a show, constitutes the last link of these sabotage attempts. The fact that the Iraqi government opened an investigation and detained the officer after this sabotage attempt, which reminds us of the Karlov assassination organized by FETÖ to sabotage Turkish – Russian relations, shows how sensitive Iraq is about its relations with Turkey. At the same time, it also shows how determined Iraq is to improve its relations with Turkey against some “external elements” who want to sabotage these relations.
Turkey-Iraq relations promise great potential. It is also of great importance for Turkey’s security and its fight against terrorism.
