Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan spoke about Turkey's military presence in Iraq at the press conference he held in New York within the scope of the 81st United Nations General Assembly High Level Week.
Stating that Iraq has put forward a policy aimed at disarmament of armed groups in the country, Fidan stated that it is especially important for the armed elements in Sinjar to surrender their weapons to the Iraqi state.
Fidan reminded that the Bashiqa Base was established in the past for the purpose of combating terrorism upon the invitation of Iraq, and said that Turkey would take steps regarding its military presence there in parallel with the implementation of Iraq's road map.
"As the road map for ending terrorism and armed groups put forward by Iraq comes into effect, Türkiye will also make efforts to gradually reduce and end its presence there."
Fidan's statement came after the meeting between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in New York, when the topics of Bashiqa and Sinjar were brought to the agenda again. Ali al-Zaidi took over the post of Iraqi prime minister in May 2026.
DEVELOPMENTS IN SINVAR ARE ON THE TABLE
Fidan stated that the security situation in Sinjar was also discussed during the meeting between Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Zaidi.
Noting that the Iraqi administration aims to disarm armed groups across the country, Fidan stated that the developments in Sinjar are important for this process.
Following the talks between Türkiye and Iraq held in New York on September 23, it was reported that the topics of Sinjar and Bashiqa came to the fore in the field of security.
IRAN'S PROPOSAL FOR HORMIS HAS NOT PROVIDED RESULTS YET
Another topic on Fidan's agenda was the Strait of Hormuz. Stating that the package offered by Iran regarding the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz was discussed in his meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Erakchi, Fidan said that diplomatic studies are continuing on the proposals of the parties.
Stating that he listened to Iran's conditions from Erakchi, Fidan stated that he also received evaluations about the first reactions of the USA and stated that it is positive that the process continues, but it is negative that no concrete results have emerged so far.
It was stated that Turkey continues its contacts to prevent the resumption of conflicts and to solve the problems through diplomatic means. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that Fidan participated in many bilateral and multilateral meetings during the UN General Assembly week.
SECRETARY GENERAL TARGET FOR THE MECCA DEFENSE ALLIANCE
Fidan also touched upon the institutionalization efforts of the Mecca Defense Alliance at the meeting. Stating that the process of determining the secretary general is aimed to be completed within two weeks, Fidan said that a candidate has been proposed by Pakistan and that this name is likely to be accepted by the member countries.
Stating that security threats against Saudi Arabia and developments arising from the Houthis in Yemen were also discussed in the meetings, Fidan stated that the foreign ministers of Türkiye, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia met in New York within the scope of the defense agreement.
Evaluating his contacts during the UN General Assembly week, Fidan said that he attended more than 40 bilateral meetings and multilateral meetings.
Stating that the Palestine issue is one of the main agenda of the talks, Fidan stated that Turkey has brought up the developments in Gaza and the West Bank in various contacts.
Fidan completed his evaluation of the New York contacts by stating that Turkey advocates diplomacy and dialogue against conflicts and cooperation against regional crises.
