Sudani, Erdogan discusses bilateral ties, sign 10 …

Erbil, Kurdistan region – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia on Thursday in Ankara, where the two parties discussed global bilateral relations and the implementation of agreements signed between the two countries last year. The two leaders have also signed ten new agreements, collaboration and training of the defense industry within the Iraq Ministry of the Interior.

In a spouse preseur with the Turkish president, Souani said that Iraq shares with Turkey “deep links in the neighborhood, mutual interests, shared history and social and religious ties”, adding that the relationship between the two nations “is based on fundamental pillars, the most important between them is the dimension of security and the challenge of terrorism, which is a common enemy of the two countries”.

The Iraqi Prime Minister reiterated “the clear position of Iraq on the Kurdistan workers' party (PKK), recognizing it as an organization prohibited under Iraqi law. According to our constitution, we do not authorize any groups to use Iraqi territory to launch attacks against neighboring countries. ”

He also praised “the political process aimed at disarming the PKK”.

Turkey and the PKK are engaged in a armed conflict for several decades. Founded in 1978, the PKK initially fought for an independent Kurdistan, but now calls for an increase in political and cultural rights within Turkey. Ankara and its Western allies consider the group as a terrorist organization.

At the end of February, the Party of Equality and the Democracy of the Pro-Kurdish Peoples of Turkey (Democracy Party) relayed a historical message from the imprisoned leader of the PKK Abdullah Ocalan, in which he called on the PKK to disarm and dissolve. It is important to note that the Turkish president Erdogan, earlier Thursday, provided that the group would lay down his arms and dissolve “today or tomorrow”.

Earlier in the day, the Sudani office reported a meeting held between the Iraqi Prime Minister and the Turkish President.
In his declaration, the offices of the Iraqi Prime Minister cited the two leaders as reaffirming “their commitment to continue joint efforts to strengthen cooperation”.

The Sudani were also cited as emphasizing “the mutual desire to implement the results of the strategic framework agreement for cooperation, which aims to improve the capacity of the two countries to meet common challenges.”

The agreement, signed between Iraq and Turkey in April 2024, extends over a wide range of areas, including security, trade, infrastructure, water and education.

A key element of the strategic framework agreement is an improved security collaboration, in particular thanks to the creation of a joint security coordination center in Baghdad and a joint training and cooperation center in northern Iraq. These facilities aim to improve the coordination of efforts to fight terrorism, in particular these targeting the PKK.

On the economic level, the agreement has led to the training of a joint economic trade committee, as well as several understanding memorandums aimed at stimulating trade, investment and mutual economic interests.

Among the most ambitious initiatives, there is the development road project of $ 17 billion – also known as the Dry Canal project – which will connect the southern Iraq to the Turkish border via a modern rail and road network.

The Iraqi Prime Minister stressed Thursday the importance of the development road project and “its contributions to international and regional economic integration, to improve trade between Iraq and Turkey and the creation of many development opportunities.”

Earlier in the day, Souani also spoke to the Turkish news agency managed by the state about the key project, describing it as “one of the most important projects in the Middle East” and “a strategic project for the countries of the region, in particular for Turkey”.

“We want Iraqi-Turques relations to be part of the regional stability equation,” added Sudani.

The Turkish presidency also quoted President Erdogan as declaring, during its partner on Thursday with the Iraqi Prime Minister that “the development road project will contribute considerably to the stability and prosperity of Iraq and all of our region”.

The Turkish president said he had discussed with the Iraqi Prime Minister “stages to quickly implement the project. We invite countries interested in the development route to be part of this strategic project ”.

On the regional level, the Souani and Erdogan were cited by the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister as addressing “regional events and key developments”. The two leaders “condemned the [Israeli] Assault in Gaza and highlighted the alignment of Iraq and Turkey's positions on the issue. »»

In October 2023, the Palestinian Hamas movement launched a large -scale foray into southern Israel, killing more than 1,170 people, according to Israeli figures. Israel responded with a massive offensive in Gaza who killed 52,000 people, mainly Palestinian civilians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Some 118,014 were also injured.

After 15 months of war, Israel and Hamas accepted a cease-fire which entered into force in mid-January. However, on March 18, Israel launched new attacks on Gaza, killing more than 2,300 Palestinians and injuring more than 2,500 others, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Israel says that the offensive aims to guarantee the return of 59 hostages still held by Hamas.

Since the beginning of March, Israel has banned all supplies – including food, water and drugs – from the entry to Gaza, to put Hamas to renegate the ceasefire.

According to the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister and the complete withdrawal of occupying forces, “according to the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister.

With regard to Syria, the Iraqi Prime Minister and the Turkish president “reaffirmed their support for stability and the political transition to Syria, helping the Syrian people in their crisis, promoting national sovereignty, rejecting external interference in domestic affairs and ensuring the protection of diversity and social pluralism of Syria.”

After a quick offensive, a coalition of opposition groups led by Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS)-directed by Ahmed Al-Sharaa-December 8 overthrew the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. At the end of January, Sharaa was appointed acting president of the country.

While Turkey, a long-standing donor of the anti-Assad opposition in Syria, quickly appeared as a key ally of the new government in Damascus, Iraq adopted a more cautious approach.

During his appointment at the end of January, the acting president of Syria, Sharaa, was congratulated by most Arab countries, while Iraq notably retained his support. Baghdad's hesitation has been cautious in his approach to the new management of Damascus. It should be noted that Baghdad was a close ally of Assad.

However, signs of thaw have emerged in recent weeks when the Souani met Sharaa in Qatar in mid-April. Ten days later, Iraq officially invited the Sharaa attending the Arab League summit scheduled for May 17 in Baghdad.

In another statement, the Sudani office confirmed that Iraqi Prime Minister and Turkish president had jointly chaired the signing of ten new understanding memoranda (MOUS).

These included agreements on the collaboration of the defense industry and the exchange of technical expertise, the creation of procedures for the voluntary repatriation of Iraqi citizens currently residing in Turkey, and initiatives aimed at judicial cooperation and joint struggle against illicit drug trafficking.

Additional mussels have been signed to improve training and capacity building efforts within the Iraq Ministry of the Interior.

The agreements have also covered cooperation in disaster management, digital public relations, educational partnerships – including the opening of Turkish University branches in Iraq – and technical fields such as metrology and calibration.