Hakim Welcomes President Erdogan's Initiative To Send A Turkish Official To Discuss The Water Issue Between The Two Countries

BAGHDAD / NINA / -Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali al-Hakim welcomed the initiative of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to send a Turkish official to discuss the water issue between the two countries. Hakim told a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu that his meeting with Çavuşoğlu is part of a series of ongoing meetings between the two sides to exchange views and at the highest levels in the political, military and economic fields,". "The talks today dealt with increasing trade exchange between the two countries and the regional relations that concern Iran, Syria, Yemen and Libya," he added. "The meeting also discussed the visit of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, as well as the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Baghdad. We also discussed in detail the war on terrorism on the Iraqi-Turkish border." "Iraq refuses to be his land as starting point for any military action against Turkey," Hakim stressed. He added that the meeting also discussed the reconstruction of liberated areas and the return of citizens to their cities and villages. The minister also welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's initiative to send a special envoy to discuss the management of the water file between the two countries, adding that he discussed with Çavuşoğlu the residence permits and access to airports and border crossings according to reciprocity. "The two sides discussed the transit of Turkish goods through Iraqi territory to the Gulf states," he said. Hakim called on Turkish companies to contribute in the reconstruction of liberated areas. For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister said that his talks with Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali al-Hakim dealt with issues related to the countries of the region and the implementation of steps agreed upon in the visit of President Barham Salih to Ankara, in addition to discussing the visit of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to Turkey, and Erdogan to Baghdad. " He added that the meeting also discussed preparations for the fourth meeting of the high-level strategic cooperation council between the two countries, increasing the volume of trade exchange and encouraging investment. He pointed out that Turkey looks forward to Iraq being a center of communication between Asia and Europe and the Gulf countries. He stressed the need to open a fourth crossing port between the two countries to be connected on the road to the new center. " He added that the meeting also discussed the water issue and how to manage this file. He pointed out that previous years witnessed a problem in the water due to lack of availability and this year was abundant due to the large amounts of rain, causing floods and if this file was managed well between the two countries, it will benefit from this abundance and avoid the scarcity in the future. " "The Turkish president will send his special envoy to Baghdad, a former minister, and his team to discuss the issue of water," he said. He pointed to the decision at the 12th Guarantor Meeting on Syria in the Kazakh to invite Iraq and Lebanon to participate as observers in these meetings. "The talks with Hakim dealt with the reopening of the Turkish consulates in Basra and Mosul, as well as the opening of two new consulates in Najaf, which have been approved, and another in Kirkuk," he said. He congratulated Iraq on the great victories it has achieved on Daesh organization, stressing that cooperation is important to combat terrorist organizations. It is mentioned that Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu arrived in Baghdad this morning on an official visit during which he will meet with Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and Speaker of the House of Representatives Mohamed Halboussi. "/ End