Turkish PM's Baghdad visit could herald diplomatic breakthrough

No Turkish statesman has visited Baghdad in nearly two years with Iraqi lawmakers angered by the presence of Turkish troops in northern Iraq. Are dynamics set to change?

MENA

2 min read

The New Arab

06 January, 2017

Yildirim is hopeful that talks in Baghdad will yield positive results [Getty]

Turkish Prime Minister Ben Ali Yildirim is set to visit Baghdad on Saturday in a sign of warming ties between the two alienated states.

Yidirim's visit will mark the first visit of a Turkish statesman to the Iraqi capital in almost two years.

Relations between Ankara and Baghdad have been strained by the presence of Turkish troops close to Mosul, with Turkish President Recep Erdogan and his Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi routinely trading insults over the past year.

But speaking ahead of Saturday's scheduled visit, during which Yildirim is set to meet with Abadi, an informed source within the Abadi government told The New Arab's Arabic publication that the meeting was expected to yield "positive results".

The source added that discussions would focus on the issue of the Bashiqa military base operated by Turkey in Ninevah province, and the PKK presence in Iraq, in addition to ways to enhance trade and economic relations between the two states.

Last year, before current diplomatic developments, Erdogan accused Abadi of subservience to Iran claining the Iraqi Prime Minister was not "at my level"after Ankara was heavily criticised in Iraqi political circles for its military deployment in Iraq.

At that time Turkey claimed that its ongoing presence at a military base in Bashiqa, was a worthwhile protection measure against Islamic State group attacks.

However, in response Abadi accused Erdogan of violating Iraqi sovereignty and refused to allow Turkish forces to participate in the ongoing battle to liberate Mosul from IS which began in October.

While Turkey says that its presence in Bashiqa is oriented towards IS Ankara is also wary of the presence of the PKK in the mountainous Shingal area, also in Ninevah province.

Turkey has been angered by the presence of the PKK – which has lead a guerrilla war against Ankara since the 1980s – in Shingal, and other areas of Iraq such as Sinjar, and has carried out numerous airstrikes on PKK targets since the summer of 2015.

However, speaking this week ahead of Saturday's scheduled meeting Yildirim said that Ankara was seeking to launch a new phase in its relations with Iraq, emphasising the two states commitment to the "war on terror".

After visiting Baghdad Yildirim is also set to visit Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan to hold talks with President Massoud Barzani.