President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Wednesday that Turkey and Iraq are in discussions to sign a mutually beneficial military cooperation and trust agreement after day-long meetings in the capital Ankara.
REGIONAL ISSUES HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED
President Erdoğan received Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi in an official ceremony at the presidential palace. The two leaders exchanged views on several regional and international issues.
In a joint news conference after dinner, Erdoğan said the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of the two countries will meet soon to discuss further details of the agreements. Erdoğan went on to say that Turkey and Iraq are on the same page regarding Syria’s territorial integrity.
On the energy front, Iraqi and Turkish leaders highlighted the importance of reopening the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline which has been vandalized by the Daesh terror group.
Abdul-Mahdi said: “We will never accept any security threat against Turkey stemming from the territory of Iraq.”