According to Kurdpress, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned in an interview on Monday that the presence of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Iraq will become an important and increasing issue and emphasized that Baghdad will eventually have to take decisive action against this organization active in its territory.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated in a live interview with CNN Turk that after the developments in Syria, the attention will inevitably turn to Iraq. He added: "This issue (PKK) also has an Iraqi dimension. After the Syria issue is resolved, it is Iraq's turn. We hope that Iraq will learn from what happened in Syria and make wise decisions so that the transition of the situation there will be easier."

The Turkish Foreign Minister emphasized that the Iraqi government will be forced to show its political will towards the PKK and that the presence of this group - especially in the Sinjar region (Shengal) - cannot and should not continue. When asked if Iraq will eventually adopt a position where no armed organization can operate on its soil, Fidan replied, "Yes."

He noted that the acceptance of the PKK as a problem in Iraq has remained largely "verbal" for the past five years, beginning under former Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Under the government of the current prime minister, Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, Fidan said the issue has become increasingly central to discussions in Baghdad, including at meetings of Iraq's National Security Council.

"Our argument has always been this: the PKK is an organization against Türkiye, but it does not occupy or control any territory inside Türkiye," he added. But in Iraq, on the contrary, it has vast lands at its disposal. It also has territory in Syria. This problem is more your problem than ours. What country allows such an armed organization to operate in its territory?

Fidan emphasized that Iraq has sufficient capacity to deal with the PKK and Türkiye is aware of the reasons why this group is still tolerated. He pointed to the situation in Shingal and said that this area is surrounded by the Hashd al-Shaabi organization and he has held about 20 meetings with the head of the Hashd al-Shaabi, Faleh Fayyaz.

He continued: "If Hashd Shaabi advances on the ground and we conduct air operations, it will take two to three days." "This is a very simple military operation."

Fidan criticized the Iraqi government for ignoring the national security threat posed by the PKK, saying, "The Iraqi government is allowing its territory to be taken over by another armed element. It does not see this as a threat to national security. So who does he consider a threat to national security? I don't know."

In response to questions about the possibility of the return of the former prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, he said that Türkiye neither supports nor opposes any elected leader through elections or the parliamentary process And he added: "Whoever comes to power, we will work with him." However, he pointed to concerns stemming from the problems of al-Maliki's previous term, noting that former US President Donald Trump's opposition to al-Maliki's candidacy is likely to carry weight in Iraq.

Fidan also referred to the existing resolutions of the UN Security Council regarding Iraq and said that the country's oil revenues are still under US supervision: "If a certain amount of dollars is not transferred from New York to Iraqi banks every month, the Iraqi economy has no chance to work." "Such a mechanism still exists and America has many levers in its hands."