Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani has told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that the Arab country would not tolerate any violation of its territorial integrity in a clear reference to Turkey’s sporadic attacks on suspected hideouts of Kurdish militants in north and northwestern Iraq.
Sudani made the remarks in a joint press conference after a meeting with Erdogan in Baghdad on Monday.
He said that Iraq will also prevent any use of its territory for attacks on other countries.
Sundai’s reference to Turkey’s attacks on Iraqi soil came hours after Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid made similar remarks in a meeting with Erdogan, where he urged respect for Iraq’s sovereignty and security.
Erdogan’s visit to Baghdad which began earlier on Monday is a first for the Turkish president since 2011. For years, authorities in the central Iraqi government have been at odds with Erdogan over his way of handling the issue of Kurdish militancy and his oil dealings with the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.
Iraqi media reports said Sudani and Erdogan had discussed security along with a series of key economic and trade issues, including the building of a $17-billion road project from south to north of Iraq as well as issues related to Iraq’s share of water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers which originate in Turkey.
Erdogan said in the press conference with Sudani that his country is determined to boost relations with Iraq in a way that guarantees the rights of the Arab country as a neighbor.
The two also reiterated their condemnations of the ongoing Israeli onslaught against the Palestinians in Gaza.
MNA/Press TV
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