Iraq, Türkiye sign over 20 deals to boost ties

Iraq and Türkiye on Monday struck more than 20 deals in various fields during a rare visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Iraq, reported Xinhua.

The deals were signed between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani after their meeting in Baghdad, the prime minister's office said in a statement.

During the talk, the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in security, rail and road construction, irrigation infrastructure and water management and witnessed the signing of more than 20 Memorandums of Understanding.

In the area of security cooperation, al-Sudani said that the two sides talked about confronting the challenges posed by the presence of militants that may cooperate with terrorism and violate the security of the two countries.

"The security of Iraq and Türkiye is indivisible, and cooperation between us is important for security in the region," he added.

During Erdogan's visit, the Turkish president and Iraqi premier also witnessed the signing of a preliminary four-way agreement by ministers from Türkiye, Iraq, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates to cooperate on a road development project, the prime minister's office said in a separate statement.

Iraq proposed the project in May 2023 to build a south-north rail and road corridor linking its main southern port of Basra up to the country's border with Türkiye, to boost economic integration.

The MoUs also include a 10-year management deal for the water resources of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which flow from Türkiye's north to the Gulf in southern Iraq. Iraq has long held concerns over the decrease in its share of the water.

"This agreement will last for 10 years and will be sufficient to achieve joint and fair management of water resources," Al-Sudani said

Erdogan said the new deals inked with Iraq represent "a new turning point in our relations with Iraq," adding that the road project will promote trade.

In a separate meeting with his Iraqi counterpart, Abdul Latif Rashid, Erdogan said Türkiye understands Iraq's water needs and is keen to cooperate in this field through joint committees formed under the relevant deal, according to a statement by the Iraqi presidency.

Erdogan is also expected to visit Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in the northern part of the country to hold talks with Kurdish leaders, particularly on the presence of the Turkish outlawed PKK militants in the region.