BAGHDAD, Iraq – Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu’s arrival in Baghdad, days after hosting his Iraqi counterpart, signals how quickly the two countries are moving to restore good ties. The urgency of restoring good ties comes as the war in Syria spins out of control and unnerves neighbors and Baghdad’s worry over Ankara’s growing energy ties with the autonomous Kurdistan Region in the north.
“Iraq wants good relations... with all countries of the world, especially with the neighboring countries,” Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told Davutoglu when the two met.
“The circumstances of the region call for cooperation, consultation and strong bilateral relations,” Maliki told Davutoglu, who also visits the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala during his two-day stay in Iraq.
Turkey is worried about the war in Syria, where it sees no future scenario ending in its favor. Ankara has been keen to improve ties with neighbors, including Iraq, in hopes of together containing the civil war and stopping the conflict from spilling over borders.
Baghdad’s greatest worry has been Ankara’s direct energy and business ties with the autonomous Kurds. Turkey is Erbil’s top trade partner and the two are involved in multi-billion dollar pipeline deals to get the landlocked Kurdistan Region’s rich energy reserves to markets in Turkey and beyond.
According to an Iraqi statement, Davutoglu emphasized the need for cooperation and coordination between the two countries at all levels, particularly with regard to the ongoing developments in the region.
“The work of the joint committees should be activated between the two countries as a prelude to the visit of the prime minister's upcoming visit to Turkey,” the Turkish foreign minister reportedly said.
“We have designed a roadmap with the Turkish officials to develop political, diplomatic, trade, business and transportation ties,” said Zebari. Trade between Iraq and Turkey has reached $12 billion, he noted.
Baghdad’s good ties with Baghdad plunged last year, after Davutoglu enraged Iraqi authorities when he visited the disputed city of Kirkuk in August 2012 under the auspices of the Kurdistan Regional Government and without informing Baghdad.
In return, last December Baghdad closed Iraqi airspace to a plane carrying the Turkish energy minister, who was en route to an energy conference in Erbil.
Ankara-Baghdad ties already had been on a downslide as the neighbors found themselves on opposite ends in the Syrian war that began in 2011, Early the next year Baghdad hurled accusations of domestic interference after Ankara decided to give shelter to the former Iraqi vice president Tariq al Hashimi, who was fleeing charges of terrorism after political opposition to Maliki.
In Baghdad, Davutoglu and Zebari stressed on warming relations and called for more diplomatic, political, transportation and trade cooperation.
