Iraq becoming an arena for settling Iran-Turkey scores

Noura Bendari

A tug of verbal war is erupting between Iran and Turkey over their presence on Iraqi territory.

Tehran wants to be alone in Iraq. However, Ankara wants to get a piece of the cake by interfering in Iraq under the pretext of fighting the Kurds.

Iranian demand

The dispute between the two allies started after Iranian ambassador to Iraq Erej Masjedi said Feb. 27 that his country rejects military intervention in Iraq.

Turkish forces, he said, should in no way be a threat to Iraqi territory nor occupy it.

He called on Iraqi forces to provide security for themselves and for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq and to assume the task of maintaining security in the region.

Masjedi also encouraged Iraq to ask Turkey to pull its troops out of Iraq.

Turkish reply

Turkish Ambassador in Iraq Fatih Yildiz countered by saying the Iranian ambassador should be the last person to proselytize on respect for Iraqi borders and territories.

On Feb. 28, the Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned Iran’s ambassador to Ankara.

Foreign Ministry officials told the Iranian diplomat that Turkey had expected Iran to support Turkey in its fight against terrorism.

Misunderstanding

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh said Turkish authorities had misunderstood Tehran’s remarks on Iraq.

Iran and Turkey, he said, have strong relations.

He added that both Iran and Ankara had reached understandings on the need for protecting Iraq.

Iraqi rejection

This controversy prompted a number of Iraqi MPs to ask both countries to stop interfering in Iraqi affairs.

Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi asked the two countries’ diplomats to stop meddling in Iraq.