Erdogan in Baghdad on Monday to discuss water, oil, and regional security files

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is conducting an official visit to Baghdad on Monday, his first in over a decade, during which he will discuss several issues including water sharing, oil exports, and regional security.

In addition to his visit to Baghdad, where he is scheduled to meet his Iraqi counterpart Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the Turkish president will visit Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, which has enjoyed self-rule since 1991.

Al-Sudani said in statements before the visit that "Iraq and Turkey have a history, common points, interests, and opportunities, as well as problems: water and security will be at the forefront of these topics on the agenda of the visit."

He added during a seminar at the Atlantic Council on the sidelines of his recent visit to the United States, "We address them all as one calculation.

We will not focus on one axis and leave the other. And for the first time, we find that there is a genuine desire on both sides to reach solutions."

For his part, the advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs, Farhad Alaaldin, told Agence France-Presse that "the discussions will focus on investments and trade (...) and security files in cooperation between the two countries, as well as the management of water resources."

Erdogan had indicated in mid-April that the "issue of water" would be "one of the most important points" to be discussed during the visit in light of the "requests" submitted by Baghdad in this regard, confirming that Turkey "will make an effort to resolve it."

Regarding water resources, Iraq has long criticized its northern neighbor for building dams that have caused a significant decrease in the levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which originate from Turkish territories before crossing Iraq from end to end.

While the Iraqi government calls for better water sharing, Turkey has always expressed dissatisfaction with the management of water resources by the authorities as well as the agriculture and irrigation sector in Iraq.

The two countries also differ in oil exports from the Kurdistan Region, which used to pass through Turkey without the approval of the central government in Baghdad. These exports have been suspended for over a year due to legal disputes and technical problems.

The Iraqi ambassador to Ankara, Majid Al Lachmawi, expressed hope for "progress on the water and energy files, as well as the resumption of Iraqi oil exports through Turkey," according to a statement published on the website of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Al Lachmawi expects the signing of a "strategic framework agreement" between Baghdad and Ankara in "security, economic, and developmental areas," considering Erdogan's visit to achieve a "comprehensive qualitative leap in the cooperation between Iraq and Turkey."

AFP