BAGHDAD: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Premier Nuri Al-Maliki on Thursday signed deals from energy co-operation to water sharing and fighting Kurdish rebels.
Relations between Ankara and Baghdad have been strained in the past by the presence of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels who launch attacks on southeast Turkey from northern Iraq.
But trade and diplomatic ties have bloomed since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq that ousted Saddam Hussein as regional heavyweight Turkey has sought to expand its influence in the Middle East under Erdogan’s Islamist-rooted AK Party government.
At a news conference with Maliki, Erdogan said trade between their countries was worth $5 billion, a figure he said he hoped to increase fourfold as soon as possible.
“A new stage has begun in our bilateral relations,” Erdogan said.
Turkish and Iraqi officials signed more than 40 agreements, including a memorandum of understanding to transport Iraqi natural gas to Europe via Turkey, Turkish officials said.
Government spokesman Ali Al-Dabbagh had earlier said the two countries had agreed to “respect each other’s sovereignty.”
The comments could be a reference to Turkish military strikes against PKK rebels in northern Iraq, which usually involve shelling and airstrikes, but have also included land offensives, raising the ire of some officials in Baghdad.
“We confirmed our steadfastness in ending the terrorism that threatens both countries,” Erdogan said, referring to the PKK.
