Turkiye, Iraq eye ties revival with focus on security cooperation

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan embarked on a visit to neighboring Iraq on Monday in a bid to push bilateral relations, with a focus on matters running the gamut from counter-terrorism cooperation to energy and trade. Erdogan's visit to Baghdad, the first by a Turkish head of state in more than a decade, comes at a time of existential challenges ranging from climate change to water scarcity, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid's office said in a statement. Baghdad aims to bolster relations with Ankara as part of efforts to reach out to its neighbors, the statement underlined, citing a raft of bilateral deals, along with joint development projects in the works that would help bring that goal to fruition. The Turkish president agreed that more bilateral cooperation was needed to achieve common goals, underlining that Iraq is one of Ankara's most integral trade partners, as the two nations have formed joint economic committees to further improve trade relations. Erdogan's talks with his Iraqi counterpa rt are expected to yield a slew of joint agreements across the realms of security and trade to transport and energy. Source: Kuwait News Agency