Türkiye will host Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al Sudani, who is expected to arrive in Ankara on Thursday, according to unconfirmed reports. An Iraqi delegation was in the country on Monday for preparations for the critical visit.
Al Sudani, who is anticipated to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, will discuss the presence of the PKK terrorist group in Iraq, the situation in post-Assad Syria, as well as the state of the Development Road.
Mukhtar al-Moussawi, a member of the Iraqi parliament’s foreign relations committee, told Shafaq News Agency of Iraq that the prime minister’s visit was important due to developments in the region, particularly the new era in Iraq’s neighbor Syria and Israeli aggression targeting that country “that poses threat to all countries in the region.”
Earlier, Iraq’s Embassy in Ankara announced that an Iraqi delegation had arrived in Türkiye for technical talks for memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with Türkiye on several fields, from security to education and industrial cooperation.
The prime minister will attend a High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council meeting. He told the Turkish ambassador to Baghdad last month that they were keen on maintaining the momentum of relations with Türkiye, which are developing at various levels.
Also, last month, the two countries held a meeting of the High-Level Security Mechanism on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in southern Türkiye. In a joint statement after the meeting, Türkiye and Iraq once again underlined the importance they attach to each other's political unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The parties reaffirmed their determination to enhance coordination and cooperation in all bilateral areas, including military affairs, border security, counterterrorism, the defense industry, energy, water and the ongoing Development Road Project, which seeks to connect Asia with Europe through a network of railways, roads, ports and cities. They highlighted their shared will to advance bilateral relations within an institutional and sustainable framework through mutual visits, the statement said.
In light of the common threat posed by the PKK to both countries, the parties underscored the importance of implementing the recent call by PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan for the group to dissolve and lay down its arms.
In its 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terror organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. PKK terrorists often hide out in northern Iraq to plot cross-border attacks in Türkiye.
The joint will of the parties to resolutely maintain the existing coordination and cooperation against common threats was highlighted, the statement said. The parties confirmed the necessity to establish a joint committee to find a solution to the al-Hol, Roj and other camps in Syria. In addition, as part of the fight against terrorism, the parties highlighted their commitment to establishing a joint operations center within the framework of the Quint Mechanism launched on March 9 in Amman by Syria and neighboring countries.
Ankara and Baghdad signed a series of security cooperation agreements during a landmark visit by Erdoğan to Iraq last year in April, mainly against the PKK, as well as Daesh terrorists threatening both nations.
Türkiye, which maintains dozens of bases in northern Iraq, has mounted several cross-border operations against the PKK in the region since 2019. Yet, these operations were criticized by Baghdad for “violating its sovereignty.” The difference of opinion led the two countries to explore new ways for cooperation to overcome the joint threat.
Ankara has asked Iraq for more cooperation in combating the PKK, and Baghdad has banned the group from operating in the country, ordered all state institutions to refer to the PKK as a "banned group" in official correspondence and set up two military bases in the Zakho region after Erdoğan’s visit.
