Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the Turkish House in New York on Wednesday, September 23, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The two sides discussed bilateral relations between Türkiye and Iraq and agreed to deepen cooperation in security, trade, investment and joint strategic projects.
In a joint statement issued after the meeting, the two sides agreed to work toward fully consolidating the authority of the Iraqi state in Sinjar and ending the presence of banned foreign armed groups there.
As Iraq's security measures continue to advance, the Baashiqa-Zlikan facility will be gradually handed over from Turkish forces to the Iraqi federal government in accordance with the agreed mechanism and timetable.
Trade and the Development Road project on the agenda
The two sides also agreed to increase trade and investment between Türkiye and Iraq and work to implement agreements signed by the two countries.
Erdoğan and al-Zaidi underscored the importance of accelerating joint strategic projects, led by the Development Road project, which aims to strengthen transport and trade networks linking Iraq and Türkiye with international markets.
Several senior Turkish officials attended the closed-door meeting, including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Justice Minister Akın Gürlek, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Trade Minister Ömer Bolat and Intelligence Chief İbrahim Kalın.
The meeting was part of a series of meetings and diplomatic contacts Erdoğan has held in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings.
