DUBAI, UAE - Qais al-Khazali, leader of the Asaid Ahl al-Haq (AAH) movement, called on the Iraqi government Monday to officially cancel its 20224 memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Turkey, after the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) announced it was disbanding and laying down arms.

Baghdad and Ankara signed an MoU on military, security, and counter-terrorism cooperation in August 2024, partly aimed at addressing the PKK.

Khazali said in a statement that the PKK’s decision to dissolve, made through an initiative by its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan, ended more than 40 years of conflict with Turkey. “Tens of thousands of people have died in this war,” he said, adding that the PKK’s announcement removes any justification for Turkey’s military presence in the Kurdistan Region and northern Iraq.

The AAH leader stated that Turkey has more than 180 military bases across the provinces of Duhok and Erbil, in addition to the Bashiqa base in Nineveh, comprising over 5,000 square kilometers of Iraqi land.

“Now that the reason for their presence is gone, we ask the Iraqi government to begin the full withdrawal process of Turkish forces and PKK elements from Iraqi territory,” he said.

He urged Iraq’s federal government to take control of the military bases currently used by Turkish troops and to do so in a formal and internationally recognized way. Khazali also called on Turkey to work with Iraq to secure the border between the two countries and stop any future movement of armed groups in either direction.

“Protecting Iraq’s borders is the duty of the federal government,” he said. “That includes every part of Iraq, from the Kurdistan Region to Nineveh province. A strong and secure Iraq also means a safer Turkey.”

Khazali stressed the importance of using the upcoming Arab League summit in Baghdad to gain support from Arab nations. He asked for a unified Arab decision calling for Turkish forces to leave Iraq and to fully respect Iraq’s sovereignty.

He also repeated his demand for the government to cancel the 2024 Iraq-Turkey memorandum. “This deal was unfair and was rejected by many in Iraq,” he said. “Canceling it officially and legally is a step toward strong, respectful relations between Iraq and Turkey based on good neighborly ties and international law.”

Khazali ended his statement by expressing hope that the new peace process between Turkey and the PKK will bring stability to the region. “We hope this agreement will lead to real peace and the protection of all peoples in the region, including our Kurdish brothers,” he said. “We want a future based on respect, friendship, and cooperation between Iraq and Turkey.”

The PKK, designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara, has for years used mountainous areas of the Kurdistan Region as shelter and often engages in direct armed conflict with Turkey.

In July 2024, Iraq announced that the label “banned” will be attached to any mention of the PKK in all affairs of state, months after a high-level meeting between Ankara and Baghdad led the Iraqi side to officially criminalize the group.