Türkiye and Iraq agreed Wednesday to deepen security cooperation, restore full Iraqi state authority in Sinjar and begin the gradual handover of the Bashiqa-Zilkan military base to Baghdad under an agreed timetable.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced the steps in a joint statement following talks in New York on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
The two leaders reviewed the strategic relationship between Türkiye and Iraq and agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation across a range of areas, with security taking a central role in the discussions.
Under the agreement, the two countries will work toward fully restoring Iraqi state authority in Sinjar and ending the presence of banned foreign armed groups in the area.
As progress is made in implementing the security measures, Turkish forces will gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zilkan base to Iraq's federal government in accordance with a mutually agreed mechanism and timetable, the statement said.
Ankara and Baghdad also agreed to expand bilateral trade and investment, accelerate the implementation of previously signed agreements and advance joint strategic projects.
The two sides placed particular emphasis on speeding up the Development Road Project, a major transport and infrastructure corridor designed to connect Iraq's Gulf coast with Türkiye and onward to European markets.
