Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani (right) receiving Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left) in an official ceremony at Baghdad International Airport on April 22, 2024. Photo: Sudani's office
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Monday received Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Baghdad, commencing a high-level delegation visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region that will numerous topics and include the signing of bilateral agreements.
“The visit will cover discussions on water resources, economics, security, the Development Road project, regional security developments, and the signing of a bilateral strategic framework agreement aimed at expanding economic and trade partnerships, exchanging expertise, and addressing shared environmental and regional challenges,” said a statement from Sudani’s office.
Erdogan’s agenda in Baghdad includes meetings with Sudani and Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid. He will also travel to Erbil to meet Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, and Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani.
He is heading a delegation of at least eight ministers. Ankara expects to sign over 20 agreements with the Iraqi and Kurdish sides during the trip, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.
The Kurdistan Region's president said that his visit comes at a "critical time" in the region.
President @RTErdogan’s historic visit to Baghdad and Erbil comes at a critical time in the region. It highlights the strong political, economic and security ties between Iraq and the Kurdistan Region with Türkiye. I look forward to welcoming President Erdogan to Erbil and to…
— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) April 22, 2024
Another crucial topic expected to be discussed during the visit is the resumption of Kurdish oil exports, halted for over a year after a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had breached a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin independent oil exports in 2014. The ruling has rendered the Iraq-Turkey pipeline unusable.
Despite several talks between Kurdish, Iraqi, and Turkish officials, the exports have yet to resume and many international oil companies have suspended production. Over 11 billion dollars in revenue have been lost.
Border security is also high on the agenda with Turkey intensifying cross-border strikes against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters in the mountainous areas of the Kurdistan Region in recent months.
The PKK is a Kurdish group that has waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state for decades in the struggle for greater Kurdish rights in the country. It is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara, as well as the United States and the European Union.
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