Relationship dossier
Turkey
Iraq
Relationship assessment
Security and economic cooperation coexist with disputes over sovereignty, water and oil exports.
Turkey toward Iraq
-15Turkey has conducted cross-border military operations against the PKK in northern Iraq, including Operation Claw-Lock, prompting Iraqi objections over sovereignty. Turkey has also pursued security coordination and broader bilateral agreements with Iraq, including during Erdoğan’s 2024 visit.
Iraq toward Turkey
-5Iraq has objected to Turkish military operations on its territory, while also engaging Turkey in security coordination and signing bilateral agreements during Erdoğan’s 2024 visit. Baghdad has additionally pursued disputes over oil exports through Turkey.
Overall relationship
0The bilateral relationship has a durable foundation of economic and security engagement, including high-level agreements and efforts to coordinate against armed groups. That cooperation is counterbalanced by recurring Iraqi objections to Turkish military activity in northern Iraq and disagreements involving water and oil exports, leaving the relationship mixed rather than consistently cooperative or adversarial.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Turkey and Iraq combine substantial economic and security engagement with recurring disputes over sovereignty and cross-border operations. Turkish military operations against the PKK in northern Iraq have drawn Iraqi objections, while the governments have also expanded security coordination and signed agreements during President Erdoğan’s 2024 visit. Water management and oil-export arrangements have been additional sources of friction.
Areas of tension
- Iraqi objections to Turkish military operations and bases in northern Iraq, especially operations targeting the PKK.
- Disagreements over shared water resources and management of river flows.
- Oil-export disputes involving shipments from Iraqi Kurdistan through Turkey.
Key developments
Turkey launched Operation Claw-Lock against the PKK in northern Iraq, an operation that became a recurring source of Iraqi sovereignty objections.
President Erdoğan visited Iraq; the governments signed a series of agreements and advanced a framework for security cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The extent and implementation of the 2024 security cooperation arrangements are unclear.
- The durability of arrangements on water management and oil exports is uncertain.