UPDATES WITH MORE QUOTES FROM PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON
ANKARA (AA) - Turkey has no secret agenda in Iraq, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Thursday.
Speaking to the media at the presidential complex in Ankara, Kalin said: "Turkey is not eyeing Iraq's territory and it has no secret agenda in Iraq.
“Those who think otherwise are either acting maliciously or are under a big delusion."
The presence of Turkish troops in Iraq was recently criticized by Baghdad. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkey's military presence at the Bashiqa Camp in northern Iraq would continue despite the parliament in Baghdad branding Turkish forces as “occupiers” earlier this week.
Last December, Turkey sent some 150 troops and about two dozen combat tanks to Bashiqa, located some 12 kilometers (7.46 miles) northeast of Mosul.
A day after the Turkish parliament voted on Oct. 3 to extend its army’s mandate at Bashiqa Camp, Iraqi lawmakers rejected the extension and demanded a review of the country’s ties with Turkey.
Iraq is asking the Turkish government to remove several hundred of its troops from the Bashiqa Camp where they are training peshmerga forces and Sunni tribal forces.
On Tuesday, Erdogan stressed that Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi himself had asked for the formation of a military base in Bashiqa. Erdogan told Abadi to "know his limits," reminding him the Turkish military presence in Iraq was due to a demand made by Baghdad itself.
Turkey says the troops are going to be there to prevent any potential sectarian conflict in and around Mosul after the city is taken from Daesh.
- Mosul operation
As for the approaching Mosul offensive, Kalin said that "a mistake that may be made" in the operation would be costly not only to Iraq, but the whole region.
"To prevent any mistakes, steps should be taken very carefully and planning should be done very sensitively," he said.
A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against Daesh, Col. John Dorrian said Wednesday that 12 brigades of troops had encircled Mosul, adding Iraq was building 20 camps for refugees to flee Mosul during the fight.
- Turkey-Israel normalization process
Asked about whether a specific date has been set for Turkey and Israel to mutually appoint envoys as part of the normalization process, Kalin said that the process was "completed."
"I am not giving any names [on who is appointed as ambassador to Israel], but I can say that the process is completed. Our foreign ministry will make the necessary statement about the issue," he said.
"I think within a week or ten days, the appointments will be made," the presidential spokesman added.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday Turkey and Israel were working to quickly mutually appoint ambassadors.
Diplomatic ties between Turkey and Israel were disrupted in May 2010 when Israeli commandos killed 10 Turkish activists on the Mavi Marmara, a ship bound for Gaza Strip with humanitarian aid, international waters.
In the aftermath of the attack, Turkey demanded an official apology from Israel, compensation for the families of those killed, and the lifting of Israel’s Gaza blockade.
In 2013, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced regret over the incident to Turkey’s then-prime minister (now president), Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
In addition to compensation, Israel has agreed to Turkey’s humanitarian presence in the occupied Gaza Strip.
On Aug. 20, Turkey’s parliament approved a deal involving Tel Aviv paying $20 million to the families of the victims, a sum which was paid on Sept. 30.
- Fetullah Terrorist Organization
Turning to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, believed by the Turkish government to have masterminded the July 15 coup attempt, Kalin called on those countries where the FETO terrorist group has presence to see "its dark ties".
"FETO is not a national security threat only to Turkey but to all countries where they are present.
"I hope those countries can see FETO's pseudo-legal illegal structure and its dark ties and will take measures," he said.
Led by US-based Fetullah Gulen, FETO is accused of orchestrating the July 15 coup plot as well as being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.
The coup attempt left 241 people martyred and some 2,200 injured.