Question: Is the U.S. engaged in talks with Kurdistan officials about their cooperation with Turkey in regards to PKK?

Answer: The United States Government has a broad and deep relationship with the Governments of Iraq and Turkey. We have encouraged and will continue to encourage cooperation by all sides on this effort. There is a mechanism in place called the Trilateral Security Dialogue that serves as a venue for U.S., Iraqi, and Turkish officials to meet regularly and consult on border issues, including cooperation in combating the PKK, which is a common enemy of Turkey, Iraq and the United States.

We encourage Iraq’s neighbors to respect Iraq’s sovereignty and cooperate closely with Iraq in combating terrorist groups in the border region, but we recognize fully the right of our Turkish ally to take action to defend itself from these terrorist attacks.