President Erdoğan: "(India-Pakistan tension) We are working to reduce the tension"

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammed Shia Sudani and his accompanying delegation who came to Türkiye for official talks. Speaking at a joint press conference held after the meetings, President Erdoğan said that relations between the two countries have gained significant momentum in recent years.

Erdoğan stated that his visit to Iraq last year contributed to this process and said, "The will and vision displayed by Mr. Sudani played a very important role in us reaching this point. God willing, we will continue this momentum by strengthening it."

President Erdoğan stated that they discussed Turkey-Iraq relations in detail and exchanged ideas on regional developments, particularly Syria, during their meeting with his counterpart. Erdoğan said, "We have just signed the documents in your presence that will further advance our relations."

Emphasizing that they have deep historical, human and cultural ties with Iraq, President Erdoğan noted that relations are not seen as relations between two states only, and said, "We consider the development of our cooperation in every field as a requirement of our brotherhood law. We have never kept the peace and stability of Iraq separate from our country, and we do not."

Emphasis on joint struggle against PKK, FETO and DAESH

Drawing attention to cooperation in the field of security and the fight against terrorism, President Erdoğan said, "We confirmed our determination to continue the joint fight against the PKK, FETO and DAESH, which pose a threat to the national security of Türkiye as well as Iraq. We underlined once again that there is no place for terrorism in the future of our region."

Erdoğan reminded that the trade volume between Turkey and Iraq approached 18 billion dollars last year, and stated that the potential is much higher. Referring to the importance of the Development Path Project, President Erdoğan stated that the project will contribute to the prosperity of both Iraq and the region. President Erdoğan invited all countries interested in the project to be a part of this strategic step. Erdoğan stated that they also addressed important topics in the fields of oil shipment, energy cooperation, banking, industry, education and higher education, and that they wanted to increase cooperation in other areas of natural gas and energy, and said, "We are focusing on realizing joint projects with Iraq regarding the improvement of infrastructure through the water framework agreement we signed last year and the cooperation mechanisms we established. We want to progress rapidly in topics such as the resumption of oil shipments via the Iraq-Turkey oil pipeline. We especially want to encourage our deepening cooperation in the field of electricity to other areas of natural gas and energy."

President Erdoğan stated that Iraq contributed to regional stability thanks to the prudent approach of Iraqi Prime Minister Sudani, and said that he believed that the good neighborly relations developed with Syria would also serve peace in the region. Erdoğan said, "I believe that Iraq's development of good neighborly relations, especially with Syria, is very important for the stability and peace of our region. We will continue to work with Iraq on this issue. The results of Israel's aggressive policy, which it started in Gaza and then carried to Lebanon and Syria, are obvious. Israel thinks that it will ensure its own security by drowning the region in blood, tears and instability. We will see more clearly in time that this is a pipe dream. With Israel completely stopping humanitarian aid entries, the risk of starvation in Gaza has now reached grave dimensions that will lead to mass deaths. We have agreed with my brother Hazrat that we must do everything we can, including increasing the pressure on Israel."

"Pakistan-India tensions are worrying"

President Erdoğan expressed his sorrow over the tension between Pakistan and India and the attacks that caused civilian casualties, and stated that they were working to reduce tensions before the incidents escalated. Erdoğan said, "We are concerned that the tension between Pakistan and India will turn into a hot conflict with missile attacks that will kill many civilians. Despite those pouring fuel on the fire, we are working to reduce tensions before the incidents reach a point of no return."

Emphasizing that the Turkmens in Iraq contribute to the relations between the two countries, Erdoğan said, "We appreciate my brother Sudani's sensitivity in protecting the rights and interests of the Iraqi Turkmens."

President Erdoğan thanked Prime Minister Sudani for the visit and expressed his hope that the consultations and decisions taken would be beneficial for both countries.

On the other hand, 11 agreements were signed between Turkey and Iraq, including important cooperation in the fields of migration, education, fight against drugs, disaster and emergency management, information and communication technologies, defense industry, higher education, metrology and law. İHA

Editor: News Center