Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi have agreed to deepen security cooperation between Ankara and Baghdad during a meeting in New York.
Wednesday’s meeting took place during Erdogan’s visit to New York for the 81st session of the UN General Assembly.
The two leaders agreed to fully restore state authority in Sinjar, northern Iraq, and end the presence of banned foreign armed groups, according to a joint statement.
They also agreed to expand bilateral trade and accelerate joint strategic projects, particularly the Development Road Project.
Erdogan and Al Zaidi discussed all aspects of strategic relations between Türkiye and Iraq, the statement said.
Turkish forces to hand over facility
“In line with the progress made by Iraq in implementing these security measures, Turkish forces will gradually hand over the Bashika-Zilkan facility to the Federal Government of Iraq, in accordance with the agreed mechanism and timeline,” the statement said.
The agreement links the handover to Iraq’s progress in implementing the security measures outlined by the two sides.
