Hashimi: Turkey expressed its willingness to train the Iraqi armed forces

Baghdad (NINA) - Vice President, Tariq Al Hashimi, said Turkey has shown its willingness to train the Iraqi armed forces. A statement issued by Hashimi’s office quoted him as saying, during his meeting with Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, in Ankara, that "Erdogan offered his country's full readiness to cooperate in this area as the arming of the Turkish army counts mainly on the US arsenal, as is the case with Iraq." The statement added "Hashimi pointed out to the importance of the search for suitable alternatives for the training of Iraqi armed forces, in case the talks with the US reached an impasse because of the immunity issue, and the importance of the international community help in building a balanced Iraqi armed force that enjoys the confidence of all Iraqis, in order to address any security gap that could happen after the withdrawal of the US forces." The statement continued that "the bilateral relations between Iraq and Turkey in various fields, in particular, the unstable situations on both sides of the borders and the military operations carried out by the Turkish army in pursuit of the PKK factions, were also discussed." Hashimi expressed hope that "Turkish ground operations are limited in time and place, and that they are coordinated closely with the Iraqi government." Hashimi arrived in Turkey in the twenty-fourth of this month to attend the Anbar Province investment conference, which began its activities there. /End/