Turkey's PM: Iraq failed to protect consulate staff

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Iraqi government of failing to protect forty-nine Turkish abducted in Iraq, pledging to ensure their safe return.

“Everything possible is being done for the safe return of our citizens abducted by the ISIL - Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - in Iraq”, said Erdogan while speaking at the parliamentary group meeting of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party Tuesday.

“The consulate staff in Mosul didn't have a choice but to surrender because all security staff had abandoned their positions”, said Erdogan. “Iraqi central government failed to protect our consulate staff in Mosul.”

Criticizing the role of the foreign occupations in the creation of current vicious circle of violence in the Middle East Erdogan said, “The western powers, unaware of the importance of the Middle Eastern region, sowed seeds of discord, took its oil and abandoned it.”

“Turkey has never taken sides in the regional sectarian clashes in the Middle East,” he said. “Turkey has always been on the side of justice and righteousness without discrimination among Muslim factions in the Middle East.”

Militants linked with ISIL abducted 49 people from the Turkish consulate in Mosul on Wednesday, one day after seizing 31 Turkish lorry drivers.

“We could also remain silent on injustice and murders in Iraq, Syria and Egypt like certain countries but we preferred to speak out for the oppressed people of these countries”, added Erdogan.

Some observers fear the ISIL movement may threaten the security of NATO member Turkey.

Some commentators speculated last week's abductions may have been revenge for Turkey's blacklisting of ISIL as a terrorist organisation.

The government has so far favoured diplomacy over force in response to the kidnapping, an approach fiercely criticised by the opposition.

Turkish opposition 'has lost its mind'

Erdogan, who is widely expected to run in a presidential election on August 10, rejected criticism over his handling of the kidnapping.

"The opposition has lost its mind. We are doing everything we can to bring our people back from Mosul safe and sound, and all it can think about is using this situation" for political gain, he said.

Deputy Foreign Minister Naci Koru said on Saturday that the Turkish hostages were in good health and being well-treated but that there was "no negotiation process" between Ankara and ISIL.

Meanwhile, Turkey has evacuated the staff from its diplomatic mission in the Iraqi city of Basra due to deteriorating security situation in the country, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced on his Twitter account on Tuesday.

"The personnel of the consulate general have left the city and moved to Kuwait as of today," Davutoglu said.

Speakng at the Finance of Sustainable Growth conference, Mehmet Simsek, Turkey's Finance Minister said that Iraq’s ongoing conflict with ISIL, poses a risk for the current account deficit. He described the situation as “an external shock.”

“Developments in Iraq will affect our current account deficit. If this situation is not brought under control, unfortunately it will be an unlucky event.” Simsek said.

Simsek also commented that this year has been challenging for Turkey with regional disputes citing the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia also.

“We are located both in an advantageous and problematic region. We reside in a troublesome neighbourhood. We wish to see more democracy in this area," Simsek said.

He expressed optimism however that Turkey can weather this problematic period naming the recovery seen in Europe - Turkey's biggest trade partner, the robust performance of tourism and recent improvements in foreign trade as positive factors.