A Turkish Studies Center Stresses The Importance Of Developing Fraternal Relations Between Iraq And Turkey

Istanbul / NINA / -The Turkish ORSAM Center for Middle East Studies stressed the importance of developing fraternal relations between Iraq and Turkey in various aspects of cooperation, given the benefits that serve the peoples of the two countries and the Middle East region in general.

In a public symposium held by the center last night in the Turkish capital, Ankara, the coordinator of studies at the Turkish Center, Oyton Orhan, explained the importance of the economic, political and security dimensions in the relations between Turkey and Iraq, stressing that developing these aspects will contribute to the prosperity of the peoples of the two countries and strengthen their economies and the economies of the countries of the region, in addition to creating a safe environment for more investments.

For his part, Bilgay Duman, coordinator of Iraq studies at the center, said: The Development Road Project could have regional impacts, not just economic ones, as this importance increases in view of the current global crises that occupy the course of international action, such as the situation in the Red Sea and the European energy crisis.

He explained that the "Development Road" project includes land roads and railways, and extends from Iraq to Turkey and its ports, and starts from Al-Faw port in the Gulf of Basra (southern Iraq) with a length of 1,200 kilometers inside Iraq, and will be linked to the Turkish railway network.

Duman pointed out that the recent visit of the Turkish delegation, consisting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defense, and the head of the Intelligence Service, to Baghdad may have positive repercussions on the relations of the two countries.

He said: The security meeting that took place between Turkey and Iraq on the fourteenth of this month resulted in the decision to form joint permanent committees in 7 areas: combating terrorism, trade, agriculture, energy, water, health, and transportation.

In turn, the advisor to the head of the ORSAM Center, Ibrahim Aydin, touched on the importance of Iraq to the region and said: “Iraq’s security and permanent stability are extremely important to the well-being of all countries in the region.”

Aydin stressed that the security dimension is important in relations with Iraq, and it is necessary to clearly realize what the threat posed by the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) organization in northern Iraq means for Turkey and for the countries of the entire region.

He pointed out that the threat of the PKK is not limited to Turkey only, but that its sabotage activities affect the security of Iraq as well./End