S/PV.7589

United Nations

Security Council

Provisional

Seventieth year

7589th meeting

Friday, 18 December 2015, 6.45 p.m.
New York

President:

Ms. Sison. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(United States of America)

Members:

Angola. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Chad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Chile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
France . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Jordan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Lithuania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Malaysia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
New Zealand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Nigeria  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Russian Federation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
Spain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland . . 
Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 

Mr. Santa Rosa
Mr. Mahamat Zene
Mr. Barros Melet
Mr. Shen Bo
Mr. Bertoux
Mrs. Kawar
Mr. Baublys
Mrs. Adnin
Mr. Van Bohemen
Mrs. Ogwu
Mr. Safronkov
Mr. Oyarzun Marchesi
Mr. Wilson
Mr. Ramírez Carreño

Agenda
The situation concerning Iraq
Letter dated 11 December 2015 from the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the
United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council (S/2015/963)

This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of
speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records
of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They
should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member
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Document System of the United Nations (http://documents.un.org).

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*1522493*

 S/PV.7589 

The situation concerning Iraq 

The meeting was called to order at 6.45 p.m.

according to Mr. Davutoğlu, agreed “to rearrange the
military personnel of the Turkish security force”.

Adoption of the agenda
The agenda was adopted.
The situation concerning Iraq
Letter dated 11 December 2015 from the
Permanent Representative of Iraq to the
United Nations addressed to the President of
the Security Council (S/2015/963)
The President: In accordance with rule 37 of the
Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the
representatives of Iraq and Turkey to participate in this
meeting.
On behalf of the Council, I welcome His Excellency
Mr. Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, Minister for Foreign Affairs of
Iraq.
In accordance with rule 39 of the Council’s
provisional rules of procedure, I invite Mr. Jeffrey
Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs,
to participate in this meeting.
The Security Council will now
consideration of the item on its agenda.

begin

its

I wish to draw the attention of Council members
to document S/2015/963, which contains a letter dated
11 December 2015 from the Permanent Representative
of Iraq to the United Nations addressed to the President
of the Security Council.
I now give the floor to Mr. Feltman.
Mr. Feltman: Since the closed-door briefing
to the Security Council on 8 December by Assistant
Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča on the Turkish troop
deployment in northern Iraq, Baghdad and Ankara
have held high-level bilateral discussions on the issue.
On 10 December, the Prime Minister of Iraq,
Mr. Haider Al Abadi, met with a senior Turkish
delegation. Dispatched by the Prime Minister of
Turkey, Mr. Ahmet Davutoğlu, the delegation was
headed by the Turkish Under-Secretary of the Ministry
for Foreign Affairs and the Under-Secretary of the
National Intelligence Service. Prime Minister Al Abadi
stated after the meeting that he had reiterated earlier
statements on the matter, and said that “the only way
to resolve the crisis is the full withdrawal of Turkish
troops from Iraqi territory”. The delegation had,

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On 10 December, Turkish President Erdogan stated
at a news conference that “the number of [Turkish]
soldiers might increase or decrease depending on the
number of Peshmerga being trained”. The following
day, on 11 December, Prime Minister Al Abadi issued
a statement that he had instructed the Iraqi Ministry
for Foreign Affairs “to submit a formal complaint...
on the Turkish incursion” to the Security Council. On
the same day, the Secretariat received a letter from the
Iraqi Foreign Minister, Mr. Ibrahim Al-Jaafari, dated
11 December 2015, calling on the Security Council
“to order Turkey to withdraw its forces immediately
and to ensure, by all available means, that those
forces retreat immediately and unconditionally to
the internationally recognized border of the two
countries”.
Also on 11 December, the Prime Minister of Iraq
issued another statement on the situation and reiterated
the position of his Government. In his statement, the
Prime Minister reaffirmed “that [Iraq’s] actions are not
directed against the brotherly and neighbourly Turkish
people”.
On 14 December, Turkey publicly announced
that some of its troops that had recently entered
Iraq had begun leaving the Bashiqa area as part of a
rearrangement. According to a 16 December statement
from the Turkish General Staff, two Iraqis were killed
and four Turkish troops were wounded when the
training base in Bashiqa in northern Iraq was targeted
by rocket fire from positions under the control of the
Ilamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
The Secretary-General reiterates his hope that
the Governments of Iraq and Turkey will exercise
restraint, including in their public statements, and
intensify their bilateral discussions to defuse tensions.
He hopes that both sides will work towards reaching a
mutual agreement as soon as possible. In that context,
the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for
Iraq, Mr. Ján Kubiš, has been actively engaging
the Government of Iraq and Turkish diplomatic
representatives to discuss the situation. The SecretaryGeneral urges all Member States involved in the fight
against ISIL in Iraq to do so in manner that is consistent
with the Charter of the United Nations and that respects
the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq.

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The situation concerning Iraq 

The President: I thank Mr. Feltman for his briefing.
I now give the floor to the Minister for Foreign
Affairs of Iraq.
Mr. Al-Jaafari (Iraq) (spoke in Arabic): At the
outset, allow me to congratulate the United States on
assuming the presidency of the Council for this month
and on its efforts to organize and conduct the work of
the Council in a transparent manner. I welcome this
opportunity to brief the Secretariat and the Member
States on the engagement of the Turkish troops in Iraqi
territory without the consent of the Iraqi Government.
Amid heightened global sensitivity regarding the
fight against the terrorist wave that has hit most parts of
the world, on 3 December Turkish forces, estimated at
hundreds of soldiers with a number of armoured vehicles,
tanks and artilleries, penetrated northern Iraq to the
depth of 110 kilometres without the official permission
of the Iraqi federal authorities. This constitutes a
serious violation of Iraqi sovereignty and the principles
of international law relating to good-neighbourly
relations, mutual respect and non-interference in the
internal affairs of Member States, in accordance with
Article 2 of the Charter of the United Nations.
The arguments presented to the media by Turkish
officials to justify their violation of the borders of a
sovereign neighbouring State are unacceptable to
Iraq. Such military movements constitute a hostile act
under established international rules and norms. Iraq
rejects any military movements of a counter-terrorist
nature without the knowledge and prior approval of
the Iraqi federal authorities. Iraq has previously made
this clear in its letters to the Security Council, which
were reaffirmed again in a letter to the President of the
Security Council dated 11 December 2015 (S/2015/963,
annex).
While Iraq welcomes the efforts of the international
community and its assistance to Iraq in its battle against
Daesh, which controls some Iraqi cities, Iraq rejects
any prejudice to its sovereignty. Counter-terrorism
operations within the framework of the international
coalition must be made with the knowledge of the Iraqi
federal Government and after consultations with the
Iraqi armed forces, and in full respect for the provisions
of the Iraqi Constitution and the will and inclusivity of
the elected national Government.
Failure to address any violation against Iraq’s
sovereignty will encourage other violations of its

S/PV.7589

security and territorial integrity by other counties.
Iraq has spared no effort and exhausted all diplomatic
channels and bilateral negotiations with Turkey in order
to persuade that country to withdraw its unauthorized
forces from Iraq. On 6 December, the Ministry for
Foreign Affairs summoned the Turkish Ambassador
in Baghdad and presented him with an official protest,
demanding that the Turkish Government issue a
statement clarifying the circumstances and background
of the incursion of the Turkish troops. Baghdad also
received a delegation from Turkey and made it clear
that Turkish troops that had entered the country without
the consent of and coordination with the Iraqi federal
Government must be withdrawn.
The Turkish delegation agreed in principle to
withdraw, but asked for time to declare the withdtrawal
after its return to Ankara. We were surprised that the
delegation refused to withdraw those troops so as to end
this serious violation of Iraqi sovereignty and security,
which represents a flagrant violation of the principles
of the Charter of the United Nations, the provisions
of international law and the relevant Security Council
resolutions. As Iraq is committed to the framework of
international legitimacy represented by the Security
Council, which has a unique responsibility in the
maintenance of international peace and security, Iraq
requests the Council to assume its international legal
responsibilities under the Charter of the United Nations
and to adopt a clear and explicit resolution with the
following provisions.
First, it must condemn the Turkish occupation and
the illegal incursion against the will of a founding State
Member of the United Nations — the State of Iraq — in
breach of the rules and provisions of the Charter of
the United Nations and the norms of international law.
Secondly, it must demand that Turkey withdraw its
troops immediately and ensure, by all available means
and measures, their immediate and unconditional
withdrawal to the internationally recognized borders
between the two countries. It must also ensure the
non-recurrence of such unilateral actions, which
undermine international relations, exacerbate sectarian
and nationalist tensions in the region, and expose
regional and international security to significant risks.
We entrust the security, unity and territorial
integrity of Iraq to the Council, which has stressed,
in all of its resolutions, the inherent right of Member
States, including Iraq, to individual or collective selfdefence, in accordance with Article 51 of the Charter of

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the United Nations, should it be subject to armed attack.
Iraq will take all necessary measures to end such hostile
acts, which are an affront to good-neighbourly relations
and threaten international peace and security.
The President: I now give the floor to the
representative of Turkey.
Mr. Çevik (Turkey): We would have preferred this
meeting to take place at a time other than when the
international community is mobilizing all its resources
to defeat Daesh. We can assure all present that Turkey
has spared no effort to solve this matter bilaterally
before it was taken up by the Security Council. The
inviolability of borders, the preservation of territorial
integrity and the political unity of States are the main
principles of Turkey’s foreign policy. Because we are
extremely sensitive in matters concerning our own
sovereignty and territorial integrity, we treat others the
way we want to be treated. Those principles apply to
Iraq more than to any country. In fact, our sensitivities
concerning Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity
have in the past even created tensions in our relations
with some of our closest allies and partners.
Turkey and Iraq are linked by unbreakable bonds.
Historically, geographically and culturally, we share
a common past and we look forward to our common
future. Iraq needs friends to help it defeat Daesh
without delay. Turkey is one of them. Turkey is currently
hosting almost 500,000 Iraqis. All their humanitarian
needs are being met by the Turkish Government. We
also continue to dispatch humanitarian assistance
to Iraq and to the three camps that we have built in
the area under the control of the Kurdistan Regional
Government, hosting nearly 40,000 internally displaced
persons. A sustainable end to the tragedy in Iraq can be
achieved only by defeating Daesh. The critical step in
that regard is to raise the military capability of Iraqi
forces, including through military training.
Turkey has extended military assistance to Iraq
since the beginning of the Daesh occupation of Mosul.
That has been taking place at various levels, one being
the training camp in Bashiqa, Mosul. We set up that
camp in conjunction with the local authorities and
upon the request of the Iraqi Government. In Bashiqa,
members of the Turkish military have been training
Iraqi volunteers who will constitute the core of the
Mosul national guard. Back in 2014, the Iraqi Army did
not have the trust of the local population in Anbar or
Mosul, and it was apparently very reluctant to fight.

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That led to a rapid collapse of the defence against Daesh
in Mosul in June 2014. At that time, we all agreed on the
formation of the national guard units. It is hard to accept
the notion that Turkey’s military training efforts in Iraq
have gone unnoticed. We have informed our partners
and Iraqi officials of it on various occasions. Owing
to the increasing threats to our military personnel in
Bashiqa, we decided to reinforce the force protection
component of our units in the camp.
Unfortunately, that issue has been taken out of
context and the number of troops that was dispatched
exaggerated. Taking into consideration the Iraqi side’s
concerns, Turkey immediately took steps to de-escalate
the matter. In that regard, we immediately stopped all
further reinforcements in Bashiqa. On 5 December, our
Defence Minister spoke to his Iraqi counterpart and
assured him that there would be no further reinforcements
in Bashiqa until the concerns of the Iraqi Government
were answered. On 6 December, Prime Minister Ahmet
Davutoğlu sent a letter to his counterpart, Haidar Al
Abadi, on the issue and clearly explained the role and
functions of the Turkish personnel in Bashiqa. On
8 December, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu spoke to his
Iraqi counterpart and provided him with a detailed
explanation that our military personnel in Bashiqa had
not been given any combat role. On 10 December, the
Under-Secretary of the Foreign Ministry and the Chief
of Intelligence visited Baghdad as special envoys of
Prime Minister Davutoğlu and conducted extensive
talks with Prime Minister Al Abadi, Foreign Minister
Ja-afari and Defence Minister Al-Obeidi. In those
meetings, our respect for the sovereignty and territorial
integrity of Iraq was reconfirmed. Our determination
to maintain the support that we have been providing to
the Iraqi Government in its struggle against Daesh was
also reaffirmed.
On 11 December, as a result of the meetings of
our envoys and taking into consideration the concerns
of the Iraqi Government voiced in those meetings, a
statement was issued by the Prime Minister’s office.
In that statement, we announced Turkey’s readiness
to adjust the number of our military personnel in
Bashiqa. After that statement’s release, we immediately
began rearranging the number of troops in Bashiqa.
The additional security elements there left the camp
on 14 December. It will be recognized that all those
steps to de-escalate the situation and reach a common
understanding have been launched by the Turkish side,

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S/PV.7589

while the Iraqi authorities preferred to express their
position through the press.

the Iraqi Government to re-establish its legal authority
over the whole country.

We are convinced that the measures we employed
would have been sufficient to leave that issue behind and
refocus our efforts on fighting Daesh. We also believe
that our statements created enough breathing space for
the Iraqi Government to implement a new mechanism
for discussing all aspects of our cooperation in the area
of security. Unfortunately, that has not been the case.
From the outset, we tried to resolve that matter through
bilateral channels, because bringing the issue to various
international platforms would serve no other purpose
than to undermine the solidarity of the international
community against Daesh.

Turkey has been under attack not only by Daesh
but also by the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) terrorist
organization. Its headquarters are based in the Qandil
region of Iraq. We have been calling on the Iraqi
Government to stop the activities of the PKK. Each
time, the response we have received has been that the
Iraqi Government had no control over that part of the
country. If the Iraqi Government claims that it has full
sovereignty over all its territory, then it is our right
to expect that it will prevent the use of Iraqi soil for
terrorist attacks against our own territory. However,
both Daesh and the PKK continue to pose significant
threats to Turkey’s safety and security from areas
beyond the reach of the Iraqi Government, and it is our
right to exercise self-defence.

The allegations concerning this issue and attempts
to bring it before international forums have put our
troops in Bashiqa at risk. The Daesh attack on our
unit on 16 December substantiated Turkey’s concerns
about the safety of its troops in Bashiqa. Unfortunately,
two Iraqis were killed in the attack, and four others
were wounded. Four members of the Turkish military
contingent were also injured. That attack also justified
Turkey’s decision to reinforce its military presence in
the camp. In the immediate aftermath of Iraq’s reaction
against our troop movements, Minister Çavuşoğlu
asked his Iraqi counterpart whether the Iraqi Army was
capable of protecting our military personnel against
Daesh.
Now, in response to those who questioned Turkey’s
intentions and the necessity of dispatching a security
force, we would like to pose that question one more time.
Will the Iraqi armed forces be able to prevent attacks
against our trainers in Bashiqa after we have relocated
the security detachment there? As we prepared for this
meeting, Turkish troops, which the Iraqi Government
claims have violated the sovereignty of Iraq by their
presence in Bashiqa, were actually defending it
against a terrorist organization in retaliation to the
attacks it launched. Our units in the camp destroyed
approximately a dozen artillery positions, command
posts, observation posts and approximately 40 vehicles
that were at the disposal of Daesh. Does the Iraqi
Government want us to halt such actions and leave?
The whole point of the international campaign to
support the Iraqi Government is to help Iraq to build
and reform its own defensive capabilities. Ultimately,
through those efforts, our collective aim is to empower

We understand the difficult political environment
in which the Iraqi Government functions. However,
that should not be an excuse to limit the assistance
offered to that country to defeat Daesh more quickly.
On the ground, the Popular Mobilization Forces
number 130,000, are armed with tanks, artillery, rocket
launchers and even unmanned air vehicles. Those forces
are far stronger than the Iraqi Army and not under the
effective control of the Iraqi Government. Turkey has
provided more than 2,400 overflight clearances for
cargo aircraft carrying military equipment to Iraq. This
is only part of the total military assistance that Iraq has
received and purchased.
Yet, the Iraqi Government has not been able to
reform and restructure the Iraqi Army or train and equip
a mere 5,000 volunteers in Anbar. That is not a logistical
problem. That is a matter of political will. There seems
to be a determination in Baghdad not to allow and
support any armed force that is not part of the Popular
Mobilization Forces. It is therefore not surprising at all
that the closure of the training programme in Bashiqa
is being sought, or that those started by the coalition in
Anbar have been delayed or stalled so successfully. We
are concerned that the Government of Iraq is repeating
the mistakes of its predecessor. It is that attitude that
puts the sovereignty of Iraq at risk.
We have said it before, we will say it again, and
we will keep repeating it until we put an end to all the
baseless allegations — Turkey has never had and will
never have any interest in violating Iraq’s sovereignty,
nor do we, unlike others, have any plans or ambitions for

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Iraqi territory. We are sure that the discussion here today
is being followed with great interest and satisfaction
in places like Raqqa, Mosul and Damascus by those
who would like to see the cooperation and cohesion
of the international coalition against Daesh disrupted.
In many others, it is being followed with concern and
regret. Ankara is one of them. We are certain that is
also true for most of the capitals represented around
the table.

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Let us put an end to this discussion here today and
carry on the work at hand. Let us defeat Daesh. Turkey
will continue to combat Daesh as a national and global
security threat, in cooperation and coordination with
all its partners in this fight.
The President: I now invite Council members to
informal consultations to continue our discussion on
the subject.
The meeting rose at 7.10 p.m.

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