Turkish foreign minister Hakan Fidan to arrive in Baghdad

Minister Fidan will be received by Iraqi counterpart and Deputy Prime Minister Fuad Hussein, the press release added.

Kurdistan 24 2023/08/22 11:23

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. (Photo: Turkish foreign ministry)

Iraq Hakan Fidan Baghdad Turkey Iraq KRG Kurdistan Region

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is set to arrive in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Tuesday as part of a two-day official visit to the country, including the Kurdistan Region, the foreign ministry announced.

The Turkish minister will meet with Iraq’s top leaders, including the prime minister, president, and speaker of parliament, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday.

Minister Fidan will be received by his Iraqi counterpart and Deputy Prime Minister Fuad Hussein, the press release added.

The minister also is set to visit the Kurdistan Region and meet with its top leadership.

A number of lingering issues between the countries are set to be discussed during the visit, including the resumption of Kurdistan Region’s halted oil export through Turkish Ceyhan port; Iraq’s water quota from the major twin rivers of Tigris and Euphrates whose declining levels pose serious challenges to the environment; the ongoing conflict between Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Turkish forces.

In March, Baghdad requested Ankara to halt Kurdish oil export, after the Iraqi government claimed victory against Turkey at an international arbitration court in Paris.

Turkey has been ordered to pay Iraq $1.5bn for the damages while another case against Ankara is pending, per the court's ruling.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani late June visited Ankara and met with the country’s top leaders, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.