“We look forward to productive discussions to open new horizons for strategic cooperation in various fields, which will develop security & prosperity for our people & the region,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in a post on X after receiving the Turkish delegation which includes Ankara’s Foreign minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Yasar Guler and Ibrahim Kalin, the head of the intelligence agency, MIT.
The aim of the visit is to “attend the next meeting of the security-oriented consultations with Iraq,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. Said consultations are to be hosted by Hussein.
While details of the meeting with Hussein have yet to be revealed, the Turkish statement said that “During the meeting, various topics on our bilateral agenda, particularly cooperation in the fields of combating terrorism, security as well as military cooperation will be discussed thoroughly.”
Rebar Ahmed, Kurdistan Regional Government’s interior minister, also attended the security meeting.Meeting underway in Baghdad between Iraqi and Turkish delegations consisting of the foreign and defense ministers, as well as heads of intelligence and national security.
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Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week that Ankara is close to completing a zone that will “permanently resolve” the security issues along their border with the Kurdistan Region and Iraq by the summer.
Turkey has recently upped its attacks against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Kurdistan Region. It has also intensified its targeting of Kurdish fighters in northern Syria due to their alleged ties with the PKK.
In December, the PKK killed 12 Turkish soldiers in the Kurdistan Region within 24 hours, Turkey responded with retaliatory strikes on 29 locations in Iraq and northeast Syria (Rojava). The Turkish defense ministry claimed in a statement it targeted “caves, shelters, oil facilities, and warehouses” where PKK fighters were present.
A high-level Iraqi delegation headed by Hussein traveled to the Turkish capital of Ankara in December to discuss several topics including strengthening security and intelligence cooperation.
