Prosperity, not terror, should shape Iraq ties: Erdoğan

NEW YORK

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the Iraqi government would establish control over Sinjar following the PKK’s removal, as Ankara seeks to shift relations with Baghdad toward trade and stability.

Speaking to journalists at the Turkish House in New York on Sept. 24, Erdoğan said he had discussed security arrangements for Sinjar and the handover of the Bashiqa military base with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

“We now want to talk more with our neighbor Iraq about the Development Road, increasing our bilateral trade, stability, peace and prosperity, rather than terrorism,” he said.

A joint statement following the leaders’ Sept. 23 meeting said Turkish forces would gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zilkan base to Iraq’s federal government in line with progress on Iraqi security measures.

Erdoğan said implementation of the legal framework for the government’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative required the PKK to disarm and complete its dissolution.

He said the process was progressing under the supervision of the relevant institutions.

On defense ties with Washington, Erdoğan said U.S. President Donald Trump had expressed support for Türkiye’s return to the F-35 fighter jet program.

Ankara expected that willingness to translate into concrete steps, he said, adding that contacts were continuing.

Asked about Greek political debate over the F-35 issue, Erdoğan said bilateral relations should not become election material.

“Türkiye is not Greece’s enemy; it is its neighbor and its ally under the NATO umbrella,” he said, stressing the importance of protecting Türkiye’s rights and maintaining peace in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.

A senior Greek government official told reporters in New York that the remarks differed from Erdoğan’s recent statements and called for tensions to be reduced.

Erdoğan also urged the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a return to negotiations, saying disruptions to shipping affected global energy markets, trade and daily life far beyond the region.

On the Black Sea, he said Türkiye was pressing for safe navigation and that the sea should not become a front in the war.

Turning to Gaza, Erdoğan accused Israel of undermining peace and urged the international community, particularly the United States, to press it to comply with the peace plan.

Lasting regional peace required a durable ceasefire and a dignified future for Palestinians on their own land, he said.

He renewed his call to abolish the veto powers of the U.N. Security Council’s five permanent members and strengthen the General Assembly.

Asked about Türkiye’s investment fund investigation, Erdoğan said the problems were confined to a limited part of the capital markets and posed no risk to the financial system or the wider economy.

“Whoever is responsible will be held accountable before the law,” he said, pledging legal and administrative measures to prevent similar problems.