Iraqi foreign minister visits Turkey

ANKARA

Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari is paying a visit to Turkey from May 3-4 in order to attend the Turkish-Iraqi joint Economic Commission (KEK) meeting.

Al-Jaaferi will meet Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekçi and Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

Turkey hopes the upcoming elections in Iraq will be held in peace and security, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hami Aksoy told reporters at a press conference on May 3.

“Until now, we have observed that Iraqi politicians have avoided sectarian rhetoric and we welcome this,” Aksoy said.

“We hope the new government will be inclusive and will carry out policies that embrace all electorates,” the spokesperson said.

Turkey expects the new Iraqi government will “display a determined attitude in the fight against the outlawed PKK [Kurdistan Workers’ Party] and FETÖ [Fethullahist Terrorist Organization],” he said.

The upcoming election will be the fourth held since the fall of Saddam Hussein after the United States led an invasion of Iraq in 2003. More than 24 million of Iraq’s 37 million people are eligible to vote on May 12.

Ankara urges the Iraqi government to take action against the PKK and its affiliates in the Sinjar region. He even wants a joint military operation in the region. Earlier, Çavuşoğlu said Turkey and Iraq are mulling to launch an operation into northern Iraq after the latter’s elections in May.