Ankara, Baghdad discuss intensification of security cooperation

ANKARA

Senior government and military officials from Türkiye and Iraq had detailed talks to further improve security cooperation and eliminate the terrorist threat from the latter’s territories.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein chaired the meetings with the attendance of defense ministers and intelligence chiefs from both sides.

The fourth meeting of the Türkiye-Iraq High-Level Security Mechanism focused on mutual efforts to wipe out PKK from Iraq’s northern regions. Earlier this year, Iraq announced that PKK is designated as a banned organization with expectations that it would also list it as a terrorist organization.

At the meeting, the two sides reviewed efforts for the creation of a joint military center in northern Iraq which would increase the level of coordination between the Turkish and Iraqi security institutions.

On the same day, Fidan and Hussein also held the first meeting of the Türkiye-Iraq Joint Planning Group which revises all aspects of bilateral ties, including economy, trade, energy, transportation and other issues.

Türkiye and Iraq are also in talks for deepening economic and trade cooperation as the former is endorsing the Development Road Project of Iraq, aimed at linking the Grand Faw Port to Türkiye’s southern border.

Türkiye and Iraq had signed an agreement for the realization of the project during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Baghdad earlier this year.

The initiative, spanning approximately 1,200 kilometers, encompasses both railway and highway infrastructure, promising to enhance trade and connectivity between the two countries.