Erdogan made the blunt comments after a meeting in Istanbul with Masoud Barzani, the president of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, who has cultivated strong relations with Ankara.
"The developments in Iraq are not good signs, especially the current prime minister's behaviour towards his coalition partners," Erdogan told a news conference, according to the Hurriyet newspaper website.
"His self-centered ways... are seriously disturbing Shia groups, Barzani and Iraqi groups," Erdogan said, adding that he had discussed these issues with the Iraqi Kurdish leader.
Maliki, a Shia, heads a fragile coalition along with Sunni Muslims and Kurds.
During his visit to Istanbul, Barzani had also been expected to meet fugitive Iraqi deputy president Tareq al-Hashemi, who has been accused of running Sunni death squads. The meeting could not be confirmed.
Sectarian tensions flared in Iraq after Maliki's government ordered Hashemi's arrest in December, renewing fears of a return to the bloodletting of 2006-2007.
Erdogan was speaking before leaving for Doha for talks with Qatari leaders that will focus on the crisis in Syria. Turkey is worried that the violence in Syria and growing tensions in Iraq could lead to a wider conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims in the region.
Maliki's government warned Erdogan against interfering in Iraq's internal affairs after he made similar remarks in January.
Erdogan also said he had discussed with Barzani the long running separatist insurgency being waged by the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in southeast Turkey. PKK fighters operate from bases in northern Iraq, but Barzani assured Erdogan that his government shared Erodgan's desire for an end to the conflict.
"They were particularly disturbed by this issue and it's not possible for them to approve of the terrorist organisation," Erdogan said.
Iraq is Turkey's second largest trading partner after Germany, with trade reaching $12 billion last year, more than half of which was with the Kurdistan region.
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@j.von hettlingen If both those had Iraq's best interest at heart, then they would not have been treating with the with each other as if the kurds ran an independent state while insulting man the Iraqis elected. You dont broker peace by insulting the democratic ruler of the country, no, thats how you incite war.
Not only Erdogan is worried that the Syrian crisis and the sectarian violence in Iraq could lead to a wider conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims in the region, he fears also turmoil among the Kurds in Turkey. Assad grants militants of the Kurdish PKK sanctuary in Syria, who stoke unrest in Turky and launch attacks on Turkish forces. Masoud Barzani, the president of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region is very astute politician and tries to broker peace in Iraq by being a stabilising factor between the Shia and Sunni Muslims.
Erodgan is playing a negative role in Iraq and has allied with the Gulf Arabs and the west in trying to exploit ethnic and sectarian differences in Iraq to try and topple Maliki who is trying to clean up the mess Iraq has become. The west and their stooges are trying to drag Iraq out of the emerging Russia-China-Iran bloc.
Iraq is not a democracy yet. Erdoğan is a very intelligent and respectable figure and proved that he is able to set an example for neighbors.
Erdogan wants to expand his influence beyond his own country - never a healthy sign. He should mind his own business. Iraq is still a fragile democracy and additional pressure from neighbors is just likely to exacerbate tensions.