Iraqi PM meeting with Turkish president to discuss security, trade, energy

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi is visiting Turkey on Wednesday to talk trade, energy and security with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“[We will talk about] nearly everything. First, there is the subject of security. We have many commonalities with Turkey, whether related to Bashiqa, groups that attack Turkey, or Iraq’s duties towards the security of neighboring countries and not letting its soil to be used to attack neighboring countries or what neighboring countries do on Iraqi soil in consultation with Iraq,” Abdul-Mahdi said at a press conference on Tuesday. 

 

The visit comes amid heightened tensions between the Unites States and Iran. The US State Department on Wednesday ordered the departure of non-essential staff at its embassy in Baghdad and consulate in Erbil as well as temporary suspension of visa services at both posts.

It would be Abdul-Mahdi’s first official visit to Turkey since being elected prime minister last year. The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Turkish government forces have seen an uptick in clashes over the past week. 

“We have commonalities concerning Syria, Iraq and east of the Euphrates… all these things, including border crossings between the two countries, things in Sinjar and conditions in the rest of northern Iraq. They all are of importance for all sides. They matter for Iraq and Turkey,” he added.

Railways and border crossings are also on the agenda of the visit, the PM said, adding they want Turkish investment, especially joint ventures, broadened in Iraq.

During the visit, Abdul-Mahdi and Erdogan are expected to discuss “steps to be taken for the reconstruction of Iraq as well as for the strengthening of cooperation between Iraq and Turkey, particularly in the fields of trade and energy,” a statement released by Turkish presidency read on Tuesday.

The pair will also discuss “views on regional and international issues that closely concern Turkey and friendly and brotherly Iraq,” the statement added.

In late April, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu visited both Baghdad and Erbil, meeting with top officials including Abdul-Mahdi. 

Cavusoglu said that “trade barriers” between both countries must be removed and "we have plan to open a consulate in Basra, one in Kirkuk and one in Najaf," in addition to reopening their consulate in Mosul.

The Turkish FM added Turkey and Turkish companies "are keen to take part in the reconstruction of Iraq and that Turkey has been the best helping side for Iraq." Ankara has offered $5 billion in credit for Turkish companies rebuilding in Iraq.

Their trade volume is around $10 billion but Erdogan had told his counterpart Barham Salih in Ankara in March that he hoped to double it.

The two countries have one official border crossing, Ibrahim Khalil, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s Duhok province. The route is strategically for Iraq as it is the most direct way to Europe for traders.

Iraq was Turkey’s fifth-largest importer in 2017, according to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Observatory of Economic Complexity.