Barrack calls Turkey's handover of Başika base to Iraq a turning point
US Ambassador Tom Barrack said Turkey's decision to gradually hand over its Başika base near Mosul to the Iraqi federal government would serve both Iraq's sovereignty and Turkey's security.
RastinewsTom Barrack described Turkey's decision to gradually hand over the Başika-Zilkan Camp to the Iraqi federal government as "one of those turning points history quietly builds." The move, he said, would serve both Iraq's sovereignty and Turkey's security.
The agreement, reached between Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Zeydi in New York on September 23, calls for the camp's handover according to an agreed mechanism and timeline. A joint statement said the two sides also agreed on fully establishing Iraqi state authority in Shengal and ending the presence of "banned foreign armed elements."
Barrack noted the process was being carried out under a defined mechanism and timeline, and pointed to the region's capacity to build its own order and stability.
Shengal and Başika deal reached in New York
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Zeydi met in New York on September 23. The talks produced agreement on security cooperation, the full establishment of Iraqi state authority in Shengal, and the gradual handover of Başika Camp.
According to the joint statement issued by the two countries, the Turkish Armed Forces will hand over Başika-Zilkan Camp to the Iraqi federal government in stages, following the agreed mechanism and timeline.
The two sides also expressed a shared will to fully establish Iraqi state authority in Shengal and end the presence of "banned foreign armed elements." The joint statement did not name which groups this referred to.
A decade-long dispute over Başika
Turkish troops deployed at Başika, northeast of Mosul, in late 2015. Ankara said the base was set up to train forces fighting ISIS. Baghdad called the Turkish military presence a violation of its sovereignty and repeatedly demanded a withdrawal.
The status of Shengal, homeland of Yazidi Kurds, has also been on the agenda since the Shengal Agreement was signed between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government on October 9, 2020. That agreement called for restructuring administration and security in the area and removing foreign armed groups from the region.