Turkish President Recep Tayyib Erdogan’s recent visit to Baghdad was an important step towards developing relations between Türkiye and Iraq, with the consolidation of political and diplomatic channels and agreement on sustainable solutions to the outstanding issues between the two countries.
Relations between Iraq and Türkiye play a vital regional role in both politics and security because of the significant geostrategic location held by both countries. In recent years, relations between the two countries have witnessed diplomatic tensions, yet current efforts indicate the intention to improve and strengthen bilateral relations.
Since 2021, signs of improving relations between Türkiye and Iraq have been witnessed, including high-level visits exchanged between officials of the two countries, as well as meetings and talks held to discuss common issues and cooperation in various fields.
However, there remain outstanding issues between the two countries that cannot be ignored and require comprehensive and agreed upon solutions. These include border issues, as well as counterterrorism, economic ties, immigration, security and water.
Economic ties and trade
One of the key outcomes of the Turkish visit were economic and trade agreements, where protocols and memorandums of understanding were signed and joint economic and trade committees were established between Iraq and Türkiye, reflecting the trend towards strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries. Through these agreements and mechanisms, technical barriers to bilateral trade are removed, enabling and facilitating investment, financing and trade.
While it is clear that these steps and agreements serve Türkiye’s interests more than Iraq’s, economic cooperation can also be beneficial to both parties, provided that common interests are balanced. This requires continuous efforts and constructive communication between the two nations to ensure the realization of mutual benefits and strong bilateral relations in the long term.
The article in Arabic: آفاق العلاقات العراقية – التركية بعد زيارة أردوغان