Turkish Foreign Ministry summons Iraqi ambassador over Bashiqa row

The Foreign Ministry summoned Iraqi Ambassador to Ankara Husham al-Alawi on Oct. 5 over the Iraqi parliament's demand for Turkish troops to leave the Bashiqa region of Iraq, diplomatic sources have told the Hürriyet Daily News.

On Oct. 4, Iraq's parliament asked the government to send a diplomatic note to Turkey's ambassador to Baghdad, to describe Turkish troops in the country as "hostile occupying forces," and to reconsider trade and economic ties with Turkey. The Iraqi parliament also rejected Turkish lawmakers' recent decision to extend the mandate on authorization of the government for cross-border military operations into Iraq.        

In a written statement on Oct. 4, the Turkish Foreign ministry condemned the Iraqi Parliament's characterization of Turkish troops in Bashiqa, assigned for the training of Sunni forces against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as "occupiers."        

"We strongly condemn the Iraqi parliament's unacceptable decision, including dirty accusations against the Turkish President," the ministry said in a statement, adding that the decision did not reflect the opinion of the Iraqi people who Turkey has stood by and supported for years.        

It also highlighted that Turkey had been fighting ISIL, which is a threat to its national security, and that Ankara is a member of the international coalition fighting the terror group.        

"Turkey has lost thousands of citizens due to the terror threat from Iraq and has defended Iraq's territorial integrity, sovereignty, stability and security taking huge political and economic risks, despite being affected directly by the instability caused by the sectarian approach of Iraq," the statement added.        

A mandate that...