President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a joint press conference with Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi of Iraq following their meeting at the Presidential Complex.

"I would like to reaffirm here the importance we attach to Iraq's territorial integrity, political unity and sovereignty," President Erdoğan said, voicing his hope that the elections held in Iraq on May 12 will lead to auspicious results for all Iraqi people and the region.

"Turkiye stands with all its Iraqi brothers and sisters without any discrimination"

"We hope a government that can embrace all groups in the country and addresses Iraqi people's needs and expectations will be formed," President Erdoğan said.

"We are ready to work with the new government to be formed in order to further deepen our bilateral relations and advance our cooperation in critical areas, particularly security and economy," he added.

Stating that the protests that broke out in Iraq in July are being exploited by certain circles, President Erdoğan said: "Violence is by no mean a way to seek justice. We, as Turkiye, do not approve of the acts of violence. At this point, I would like to convey once again our concerns and our support to Iraq's peace to my brother Al-Abadi."

"We are ready to do our part for the reconstruction of Iraq"

"The Iraqi Government successfully passed the tests of first DAESH and then the illegitimate referendum," President Erdoğan said. "It is of importance that steps be taken in a new era to meet the urgent needs of the Iraqi people."

Noting that Turkiye stands ready to provide all kinds of support on this matter, President Erdoğan said: "Throughout history, our country has stood by the Iraqi people in their most difficult times without making any discrimination of religion, language or denomination. Iraq's problem is our problem. We are ready to do our part for the reconstruction of Iraq."

"I and Mr. Abadi also discussed the importance of a second border gate between our two countries. The border gate to be opened will benefit both Iraq and our country. I believe we will take the necessary steps on this matter," President Erdoğan said.

"We agreed to increase our efforts to clear PKK from Iraq" 

Stating that they also discussed making Turkiye's consulate generals in Mosul and Basra operational again, President Erdoğan said: "We had an opportunity to discuss the fight against terror. We agreed on full cooperation in this area. As Turkiye, we have never discriminated between terrorist organizations. In our eyes, there is no difference between the butchers of DAESH and murderers of the PKK. They both are brutal organizations which do not hesitate to slay little babies. We are determinate to wipe out these organizations and their extensions from our region. We will continue to stand in solidarity with Iraq in the fight against all terrorist organizations, particularly DAESH."

"I conveyed our expectations from the Iraqi side regarding the fight against the PKK terrorist organization," President Erdoğan stated. We have reached an agreement to increase our efforts to completely clear the PKK from Iraq."

On Iraqi Turkmens, President Erdoğan said: "I also raised the issues of our Turkmen brothers and sisters. I would like to express here that I touched upon the attacks against the Turkmens in Kirkuk and the importance of ensuring our brothers and sisters' security. I believe establishing an architecture of administration and security in Kirkuk which befits the province's structure will contribute to peace in Kirkuk."

Water problem

Noting that bilateral economic relations were also high on their agenda, President Erdoğan said: "Our bilateral trade volume as of 2017 is nearly $11 billion. Of course, we do not find it sufficient between Turkiye and Iraq. It is our expectation that this volume be further increased and Turkiye and Iraq have a befitting trade volume."

"One of the major problems between Turkiye and Iraq is water and energy. We elaborated our talks on this matter and tasked our relevant ministers. They are talking right now," President Erdoğan said.

Iraqi pm al-Abadi: "we stand in solidarity with Turkiye for the prevention of attacks"

Speaking after President Erdoğan, Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi of Iraq stated that security, agriculture, energy, and investments, as well as cultural, industrial and commercial issues, were discussed during their meetings with an aim to further strengthen and deepen the relations between the two countries. Noting that they are on the same page with regard to security, border security in particular, Prime Minister Al-Abadi underlined that they absolutely don't want Iraqi territory, especially the north of Iraq, to be used against Turkiye or any other neighbor, and that they stand in solidarity with Turkiye for the prevention of attacks and for ensuring border security.

Calling on Turkish companies to invest in Iraq, Prime Minister Al-Abadi said: "In the Iraqi provinces, in Basra and Mosul, the Turkish Consulates General will be re-opened, serving to further strengthen cultural, political and social relations and increase investments." (ILKHA)