Turkish PM arrives in Baghdad, to meet with Iraqi senior officials

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim arrived here on Saturday on a two-day visit to Iraq during which he will meet with his Iraqi counterpart Haider al Abadi.

Yildirim's visit is the first one of a senior Turkish official to Iraq since the Turkish-Iraqi relations soured after Baghdad condemned the latter’s establishment of a military camp in Iraq's town of Bashiqa in late 2015.

According to Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey has pledged to withdraw its soldiers from Iraq when the threat posed by Daesh terrorists is eliminated.

Meanwhile, Abadi stressed that the Iraqi constitution prevents the presence of any Iraqi-based armed organization or group. He also said Iraq does not back any group that launches attacks on Turkey, alluding to the Kurdistan Workers Party, also known as PKK.

The Turkish premier is also scheduled to meet with Iraqi President Fuad Masum, Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament Salim al-Jabouri and other Iraqi officials. 

Yildirim will also visit the capital of Kurdistan region, Erbil and meet with its President Masoud Barzani and Prime Minister of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Nechervan Barzani.

The meeting is meant to tackle anti-terrorism efforts, ways of boosting bilateral cooperation in combating terrorist groups in addition to the economic ties binding Turkey and the KRG.

Source: MENA