WASHINGTON D.C. - Omar Fatah, the deputy Prime Minister of the regional administration in north of Iraq, said on Monday that they did not support terrorist PKK organization.
Taking the floor at the United States Institute of Peace, Fatah said they condemned terrorist activities, indicating that they considered Turkey as a friend.
Fatah said Turkey was an 'ally' of the Iraqi Kurds in the past during hardships and provided shelter and resource, and expressed gratitude for the support Turkey extended to Iraqi Kurds.
"Turkish companies are the main investors in our region and we have many social and cultural ties with Turkey. We are against use of our region for attacks against Turkey," Fatah indicated. He said Turkish companies have 5 billion USD investment in the regional administration.
Fatah noted, "however, we can not control every part of the region in the border. We do everything against PKK and we will do more. In case PKK terrorism continues, people of the region and Turkey will suffer from this," he remarked.
Fatah said they took several measures against terrorist PKK organization recently, and added that, "we will not allow any group, linked with PKK, to open office in our own territory."
Defending that he believed Turkey would not launch a cross-border operation, Fatah claimed that any military operation (of a neighbor of Iraq) would destabilize the region, and noted that, "we should work together to find a solution. I believe that we can find a peaceful and diplomatic solution."