Türkiye, Iraq joint planning group will convene in Baghdad

ANKARA

Senior officials from Türkiye and Iraq will hold the second preparatory meeting of the Joint Planning Group in Baghdad on April 17, Turkish diplomatic sources have said, citing economy, development, trade and security as important topics to be discussed.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yılmaz will travel to Baghdad to meet his counterpart, Mohammed Hussein Bahr’ul-Ulum, as part of the planning group meeting, the sources stated, adding that Yılmaz will hold high-level meetings in Baghdad and Irbil during his trip.

The talks will renew both sides’ commitment to advance the ties on the basis of a positive agenda and institutional framework while reviewing the implementation of the agreements signed between the two countries during President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Iraq last year.

Yılmaz is expected to repeat the importance Türkiye is attaching to the stability and security of Iraq and express support to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s efforts to prevent Iraq from the negative effects of the continued Israeli aggression as well as from the developments in Syria.

As the Joint Planning Group meeting comes days after the two countries’ foreign, defense and intelligence leaders reviewed the ongoing counterterrorism cooperation, Yılmaz will reiterate Ankara’s expectations from Baghdad for labeling PKK as a terror organization by Iraq. Iraq has already declared it a banned organization after close talks with Türkiye.

Turkish and Iraqi officials will also discuss speeding up the Development Road Project, which is intended to connect the East and West.

Yılmaz will also underline Türkiye’s will to further deepen bilateral trade ties with Iraq as one of its main economic partners.

Türkiye and Iraq will hold a high-level strategic council meeting under the leadership of Erdoğan and al-Sudani on May 8 in Ankara.