Kurdish separatists and water issues loom large in long
Time:2024-05-21 07:10:11 Source:travelViews(143)
BAGHDAD (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was set to make his first official visit to Iraq in more than a decade on Monday as his country seeks greater cooperation from Baghdad in its fight against a Kurdish militant group that has a foothold in northern Iraq.
Other issues also loom large between the two countries, including water supply issues and exports of oil and gas from northern Iraq to Turkey, which have been halted for more than a year.
Erdogan’s last visit to Iraq was in 2011, when he was Turkey’s prime minister.
Iraqi government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi said in a statement that Erdogan’s visit will be a “major starting point in Iraqi-Turkish relations” and will include the signing of a deal on a “joint approach to security challenges” and a “strategic agreement on the water file,” among other issues.
Erdogan has said his country plans to launch a major operation against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, a Kurdish separatist movement banned in Turkey and with operations in Iraq, during the summer, with the aim of “permanently” eradicating the threat it poses.
Previous:Fresh heartache for cancer
You may also like
- What's next for Iran after death of its president in crash?
- Revealed: Britain's favourite royal, as Prince William is knocked from the top spot
- Hannah Waddingham looks effortlessly stylish in tan trousers as she goes shopping in New York City
- Mick Jagger wades into politics, taking verbal jab at Louisiana state governor at performance
- Six killed in a 'foiled coup' in Congo, the army says
- Sienna Miller looks sensational in Victoria Beckham's sought
- Argentina's slump is forgotten after NZ is blown away at Singapore Sevens
- Leipzig draws at Hoffenheim in Bundesliga
- Supreme Court rejects an appeal from a Canadian man once held at Guantanamo