Turkey and Iraq sign three agreements
Erdoğan: We are ready to meet Iraq's defense needs
RastinewsPresident Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey is ready to do its part in supplying the defense industry products Iraq needs.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said the visit was not merely a matter of protocol, adding that the two countries aim to further strengthen ties dating back centuries.
Turkey and Iraq signed three cooperation agreements covering education, youth and sports, and industrial property.
Erdoğan made the remarks at a joint press conference following his meeting with al-Sudani, addressing bilateral relations and regional developments.
Erdoğan said the two leaders discussed recent developments in the region, particularly regarding Iran, Syria and Palestine.
Turkey stands ready to fulfill its responsibility to supply the defense industry products Iraq needs, Erdoğan said, adding that Turkey is working to ensure the region is associated with development, prosperity, peace and stability rather than war, terrorism and conflict.
Noting that Iraq has long been among the countries affected by war and instability, Erdoğan said Turkey has never viewed Iraq's peace and stability as separate from its own security and stability.
Erdoğan pointed to the Development Road Project, saying it has become even more strategic in light of current regional developments and that its importance has grown as a route connecting the Gulf to the world through Iraq.
According to a report by Bloomberg, Erdoğan also addressed energy cooperation, noting that Turkish Petroleum had been granted a stake in the Kirkuk production field and calling the agreement signed that day a historic step for energy partnership.
Erdoğan added that Turkey remains in close dialogue with the Iraqi government to advance both the Terror-Free Turkey process and the vision of a terror-free region.
"Let the third river be a river of economy — that is the Development Road"
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani stressed that the visit was not simply a diplomatic protocol call. "This visit of ours is not a matter of protocol — it is a token of the reinforcement of relations that go back centuries," he said.
Turning to economic cooperation between the two countries, al-Sudani said: "Geography has naturally given us two rivers. We want a third river as well. Let this now be a river of economy — and that, of course, is the Development Road."
Three agreements signed between the two countries
The agreements were signed at the Presidential Complex following a one-on-one meeting between Erdoğan and al-Sudani and a subsequent meeting between the two delegations.
Under the agreements, a Memorandum of Understanding on Education and Academic Cooperation was signed by Police Academy President Murat Balcı and General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, head of the Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
A Memorandum of Understanding on Youth and Sports was signed by Youth and Sports Minister Osman Aşkın Bak and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein.
Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacır and Iraqi Finance Minister Taif Sami signed a Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in Industrial Property.