President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan received Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi of Iraq at the Presidential Complex. After the meeting, a joint press was held by Erdoğan and Abadi.
Noting that they discussed during their meeting the steps Iraq and Turkey may take in political, military, economic, commercial and cultural fields, President Erdoğan underlined: “We have reiterated that our stance on the IKRG’s illegitimate referendum decision remains unchanged.”
President Erdoğan continued: “We have been stressing from the very beginning that we support Iraq’s territorial integrity. We cannot accept this referendum. Since there weren’t any positive developments despite our warnings, we decided to impose some sanctions. I believe we have now reached a positive point as a result of the talks we have held and the steps we have taken as Turkey, Iran, and Iraq.”
Expressing his hope for the bilateral trade volume between Turkey and Iraq to rise from its current amount of 9 billion dollars to higher levels, President Erdoğan stated: “We enjoy very strong ties of brotherhood and neighborhood in every aspect. We are two countries that share values of the same civilization.”
President Erdoğan pointed out that Iraq has suffered heavy blows in recent years and, pointing to the destruction inflicted in Iraq by DAESH terrorist organization, said: “Almost the whole Iraq, except for some 15-20 percent, has been cleared of this terrorist organization, called DAESH, thanks to the decisive steps of the central government. And these remaining areas will also be cleared of DAESH terrorist organization.
“The PKK has a presence in such regions as Qandil and Sinjar”
Erdogan pointed to the PKK presence in Iraq, “We also know that the PKK terrorist organization, taking advantage of that situation, has a presence in Iraq. The PKK has a presence in such regions as Qandil and Sinjar. We, as Turkey, are ready to undertake a joint struggle in solidarity in all these regions. It is my hope that the devastated regions in Iraq get swiftly back on feet. We will give every support in our power to that end. We will take every step for peace and calm in the region.”
Noting that Turkey is ready to take every measure for the oil pipeline to run and that the talks regarding the land border crossings are ongoing, President Erdoğan underlined that all the measures will be taken in agreement.
Our mission is to ensure Iraq's territorial integrity: Abadi
Speaking after Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi, he said that they were a part of a region where there are shortages, devoid of instability.
Abadi, stating that the time has come to overcome these difficulties, “A part of our undoubtedly policy is the fight against terrorism. We care about the cooperation in order to get effective results in the fight against terrorism. Daesh terrorist organization, intent to kill many of our citizens has unfortunately destroyed our infrastructure. Thanks to the God, as Iraq we were able to win against the Daesh with the security forces.
ILKHA