Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, along with other Arab officials, condemned Turkey’s military deployment in Iraq, calling it an “assault” and a “breach of sovereignty”.
The deployment, the ministers added in a statement during an Arab League meeting in Cairo Thursday, is a “threat” to Arab national security.
Shoukry affirmed the necessity of withdrawing the Turkish troops from Iraqi land, adding that Turkey should limit its intervention in Arab internal affairs.
“Ankara has a lot to do to convince the international community that its policies are in line with the global efforts to fight terrorism,” Shoukry added.
Turkey’s government said it will continue the withdrawal of its military forces from Iraq, a decision that came days after US President Barack Obama urged Ankara to take this measure in order to ease tensions between the neighbouring countries.
Earlier in the week, Baghdad described the Turkish deployment of between 150 and 300 soldiers and 20 tanks to the Bashiqa camp near Mosul as an “illegal incursion”.
Iraq submitted a formal complaint to the UN to call for the removal of Turkish forces.
