Al-Sudani, Fidan stress agreements implementation and regional coordination
Shafaq News/ Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who arrived in Baghdad on Sunday, to discuss the latest developments in Syria, Gaza, Lebanon, and efforts to unify regional countries' support for stability, as well as the implementation of memoranda of understanding between the two countries.
The two officials addressed bilateral relations and discussed several regional and international issues of mutual interest, particularly the developments in the region and the situation in Syria, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Media Office.
Both sides emphasized the importance of adhering to the ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza and stressed the need to "unify efforts among regional countries to support stability in the region."
Al-Sudani confirmed Iraq's readiness to coordinate with regional countries, particularly Turkiye, on regional developments, reiterating Iraq's stance against Syria becoming a battleground, as this would have broader repercussions on the entire region.
The Prime Minister also emphasized the need to implement the memoranda of understanding signed during his visit to Ankara in November and during Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's visit to Baghdad in April of last year.
For his part, Fidan expressed Turkiye's desire to "coordinate with Iraq on regional developments and to enhance cooperation in bilateral relations, building on the mutual visits between the two countries' leaders."
The Turkish Foreign Minister highlighted Turkiye's "commitment to the Strategic Development Road Project," as well as cooperation in areas covered by memoranda of understanding between the two countries, including energy, education, trade exchanges, banking cooperation, and more.
In August 2023, Fidan made a comprehensive visit to Iraq, meeting with officials in Baghdad and Erbil, and discussed outstanding issues between the two countries, particularly those of a security nature.
Earlier, Turkish political analyst Gök Ögünlu, in an interview with Shafaq News Agency, noted that "there is a need for intelligence coordination between Iraq and Turkiye to confront the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)." He suggested that this need prompted Fidan's visit to Iraq to coordinate efforts.
Ögünlu also anticipated that Fidan's visit would not be limited to Baghdad, with the possibility of including Erbil, as "Turkiye aims to launch an all-out campaign against the PKK in northern Syria, and thus wants to coordinate with Baghdad first, and then with Erbil."
The Turkish political analyst concluded that "the visit may address multiple issues, in addition to intelligence coordination, such as the Syria file, the Development Road, and the follow-up on the implementation of agreements signed during Fidan's previous visit."
Fidan was included in the delegation accompanying President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to Baghdad and Erbil in April 2024, which resulted in the signing of 27 agreements and memoranda of understanding across various fields, with the most prominent being the water agreement.
