Turkish PM discusses IS war, economic ties with Kurdish officials
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Sunday met the Premier of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani and President Masoud Barzani in Erbil to discuss a wide range of subjects.
Yildirim discussed trade, investment, and the war against the Islamic State (IS) in the high-level meeting between both governments.
The Turkish delegation, headed by PM Yildirim, included the Ministers of Defense, Education, Energy and Natural Resources, Economy, and Customs and Trade.
Yildirim also met President Barzani and was expected to hold a press conference following his meetings with Kurdish officials.
During the conference, President Barzani thanked the people and government of Turkey for providing help to the Kurdistan Region in the past years.
He called for joint efforts to combat terrorism in the region, stating IS had faced a significant defeat from the Kurdistan fronts and hoped for the same fate on all fronts, including in Turkey.
In his meetings with Baghdad and KRG officials, Yildirim mentioned he had discussed joint efforts to defeat IS.
He also said Turkey’s fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) would continue inside and outside of the country, stating the group’s presence in Sinjar (Shingal) was unacceptable due to security issues.
The Premier noted Turkey considered the PKK, Democratic Union Party (PYD), and People’s Protection Units (YPG) as the “same terrorist organization.”
In another part of the press conference, Yildirim noted an economic commission would be formed between Turkey, the KRG, and Baghdad.
During the commission, the three governments would hold high-level meetings about increasing trade relations and resolving the economic issues between the two countries.
On Saturday, Yildirim and his accompanied delegates visited Baghdad and met with Iraqi officials. In the late evening, he arrived in Erbil and was received by PM Barzani and other Kurdish officials.
In Baghdad, the Turkish Premier met with the Iraqi President Fuad Masum, Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jibouri, and some Iraqi political parties in Baghdad.
During the press conference, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said they discussed the presence of terrorist groups in Iraq and IS in Syria, and the importance of increasing coordination between Iraq and Turkey to eliminate terror threats.
“Iraq calls upon Turkey to withdraw its troops from Bashiqa base, and the Turkish side emphasized on its respect for the sovereignty and integrity of Iraq in this regard,” Abadi stated.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany