Turkey Reopens Consulate in Northern Iraq

Date: 08 May 2021 - 22:02

News ID: ۸۹۹۹۴

ANKARA (Dispatches) – Turkey has reopened its consulate in Mosul, in northern Iraq. The consulate has been closed for the past seven years, since Daesh seized control of the city.
At that time, Daesh held 49 consulate staff — including then-Consul General Ozturk Yilmaz — hostage for over three months.
Ankara has announced several times in recent years that it intended to reopen its consulate in Mosul.
Turkey recently appointed a new ambassador to Iraq as part of its efforts to boost its relations with its neighbor.
The relations between the countries have been rocky at times as Baghdad has slammed Turkey’s military offensives in northern Iraq as a violation of Baghdad’s sovereignty.
Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu recently announced plans to set up a military base in Iraq’s northern Dohuk region, in addition to a number of military outposts that Turkey has held in the region.
Turkey says the new base is to restrict the movement of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants and their military operations against Turkey.
Last month, the Turkish army launched a new offensive against PKK bases in northern Iraq, and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar visited a military base in the Kurdistan region.
The operation and Akar’s visit — which took place "without coordination or prior approval from authorities” — sparked anger from Baghdad. The Iraqi government sent a formal letter of protest to Turkey’s ambassador on May 3.