Baghdad, Ankara Set to Sign Agreements on Water, Security

Iraq is set to host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday in a visit that aims to promote greater co-operation between the two neighbouring countries.
Among the disagreements between the two nations are the decades-long Turkish military operation in northern Iraq against the Kurdish dissent group which Baghdad views as an infringement on the country’s sovereignty. Relations have also been strained over Iraqi demands for a fair share of water flowing to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
The two are set to sign several agreements to enhance relations and co-operation in different fields, Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qasim Al Araji said on Wednesday.
Mr Al Araji described the visit of Mr Erdogan as “significant”, and that he was “optimistic” about the meeting.
“Iraq is keen to solve all these issues and challenges and we have found a genuine and serious willingness from the Turkish side,” he said.
Mr Erdogan will start his one-day visit in Baghdad where he will meet Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani before visiting Erbil, the provincial capital of the Kurdish region.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, has bases in northern Iraq, from which it has launched attacks against Turkey in an attempt to gain greater autonomy for the Kurdish people.
The conflict between the Turkish army and the PKK in Iraq escalated in the 1990s when Turkey launched several ground operations in northern Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War.
Ankara has launched several operations in Iraq against the group, which have been expanded in recent years.
PKK is designated as a terrorist group by the US and the EU. It took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984 with more than 40,000 people killed.