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ABADI’S VISIT TO TURKEY
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited Ankara on Dec. 25-26 accompanied by six ministers. If the reciprocal good will expressed during this visit is sustained, a new era may open up in the bilateral relations between Turkey and Iraq.
A High Level Strategic Cooperation Council had been established between the two countries in 2008 but has since remained dormant. The meetings of the council have now resumed under the incumbent prime ministers.
The subjects discussed during this council meeting include:
Security
In the field of security, both sides agreed to cooperate, primarily in fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Intelligence sharing with Iraq and the training of peshmerga fighters to be provided by Turkey was already agreed to during Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's recent visit to Baghdad on Nov. 20. During Abadi's visit to Ankara, Davutoglu reiterated this position. “Turkey will continue to provide all kinds of support to Iraq in the fight against the terrorist groups in the region. Our countries share the same approach against these groups, including ISIL and the Kurdistan Workers' Party [PKK],” he said. Each country's defense ministries will continue to discuss this subject.
Davutoğlu alluded to previous Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's policy of alienating Iraqi Sunnis as the main reason for the emergence of ISIL. The Iraqi delegation felt uncomfortable with the remark as the Abadi regime disagrees with such an assessment.
Sunni groups held a meeting in Iraq on Dec. 18 with Usama al-Nujayfi, the Sunni vice president of Iraq, and issued a statement asking the Baghdad authorities to support them in the formation of combat units to fight ISIL and to declare a general amnesty for Sunni political prisoners in Iraq. Baghdad authorities believe that Turkey was behind these statements, which came immediately before Abadi's visit to Ankara. According to the news leaked from the meetings, when Turkey raised the question of giving more rights to Sunnis, Abadi made a short comment by pointing out that new steps were taken to give Sunnis their rights, refraining from further elaboration.
Energy
Abadi emphasized his eagerness to develop Iraq's ties with Turkey in economic, political, commercial, security and military fields while “respecting the sovereignty of both countries.” This reference to sovereignty is an allusion to the Iraqi concern about the deal between Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq for the export of oil produced in northern Iraq.
Despite this sensitivity, Abadi also said that Iraq wants to export its oil to world markets through Turkey. If this is a genuine wish, it may lead to the revival of the old Basra-Baghdad-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which will provide an additional route for southern Iraqi oil to Western markets.
The Maliki government had previously cancelled the permits issued to the state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), but there was no direct reference to this question at the press conference after the meeting of the two prime ministers. It is possible that normalization may be expected on this subject under Abadi's government.
Economic relations
Turkish-Iraqi economic relations were negatively affected by Maliki's decision to exclude Turkish companies from $500 billion worth of infrastructure works to be constructed in Iraq. Turkey expects that this ban will be lifted by Abadi.
Transboundary waters
An area where the two countries do not see eye-to-eye were the transboundary waters. Iraq is trying to obtain a promise for a guaranteed quantity of water to be released by Turkey in the River Tigris. The international practice in this field is to use water in an “equitable and reasonable” manner, but the parties could not agree on what constitutes “equitable and reasonable.”
Abadi's visit will be followed by the visit of the Iraqi President Fuad Masum to Ankara. President Masum's visit may further consolidate Turkish-Iraqi relations, but some scars may remain after the recent difficulties in bilateral relations.
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Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi visited Ankara on Dec. 25-26 accompanied by six ministers. If the reciprocal good will expressed during this visit is sustained, a new era may open up in the bilateral relations between Turkey and Iraq.
A High Level Strategic Cooperation Council had been established between the two countries in 2008 but has since remained dormant. The meetings of the council have now resumed under the incumbent prime ministers.
The subjects discussed during this council meeting include:
Security
In the field of security, both sides agreed to cooperate, primarily in fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Intelligence sharing with Iraq and the training of peshmerga fighters to be provided by Turkey was already agreed to during Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu's recent visit to Baghdad on Nov. 20. During Abadi's visit to Ankara, Davutoglu reiterated this position. “Turkey will continue to provide all kinds of support to Iraq in the fight against the terrorist groups in the region. Our countries share the same approach against these groups, including ISIL and the Kurdistan Workers' Party [PKK],” he said. Each country's defense ministries will continue to discuss this subject.
Davutoğlu alluded to previous Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's policy of alienating Iraqi Sunnis as the main reason for the emergence of ISIL. The Iraqi delegation felt uncomfortable with the remark as the Abadi regime disagrees with such an assessment.
Sunni groups held a meeting in Iraq on Dec. 18 with Usama al-Nujayfi, the Sunni vice president of Iraq, and issued a statement asking the Baghdad authorities to support them in the formation of combat units to fight ISIL and to declare a general amnesty for Sunni political prisoners in Iraq. Baghdad authorities believe that Turkey was behind these statements, which came immediately before Abadi's visit to Ankara. According to the news leaked from the meetings, when Turkey raised the question of giving more rights to Sunnis, Abadi made a short comment by pointing out that new steps were taken to give Sunnis their rights, refraining from further elaboration.
Energy
Abadi emphasized his eagerness to develop Iraq's ties with Turkey in economic, political, commercial, security and military fields while “respecting the sovereignty of both countries.” This reference to sovereignty is an allusion to the Iraqi concern about the deal between Turkey and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq for the export of oil produced in northern Iraq.
Despite this sensitivity, Abadi also said that Iraq wants to export its oil to world markets through Turkey. If this is a genuine wish, it may lead to the revival of the old Basra-Baghdad-Ceyhan oil pipeline, which will provide an additional route for southern Iraqi oil to Western markets.
The Maliki government had previously cancelled the permits issued to the state-owned Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), but there was no direct reference to this question at the press conference after the meeting of the two prime ministers. It is possible that normalization may be expected on this subject under Abadi's government.
Economic relations
Turkish-Iraqi economic relations were negatively affected by Maliki's decision to exclude Turkish companies from $500 billion worth of infrastructure works to be constructed in Iraq. Turkey expects that this ban will be lifted by Abadi.
Transboundary waters
An area where the two countries do not see eye-to-eye were the transboundary waters. Iraq is trying to obtain a promise for a guaranteed quantity of water to be released by Turkey in the River Tigris. The international practice in this field is to use water in an “equitable and reasonable” manner, but the parties could not agree on what constitutes “equitable and reasonable.”
Abadi's visit will be followed by the visit of the Iraqi President Fuad Masum to Ankara. President Masum's visit may further consolidate Turkish-Iraqi relations, but some scars may remain after the recent difficulties in bilateral relations.
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