Iraqi Turkmen minister Saman Agha expects much stronger Iraq-Türkiye ties

Iraqi Turkmen Front leader and State Minister Mohammed Saman Agha said he believes relations between Iraq and Türkiye will grow much stronger, adding that the faster the Development Road project is implemented, the more Iraq will benefit.

Mohammed Saman Agha, leader of the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) and a state minister in the Iraqi government, told Turkish media he believes “relations between Iraq and Türkiye will become much stronger in the coming period.” He said the two countries share many issues, including security, energy, trade, water and counterterrorism.

Turning to the Development Road project, he said: “The faster the Development Road project is carried out and put into practice, the more beneficial it will be for Iraq. Türkiye will also benefit, but Iraq’s gains will be greater, because this project will connect the East to the Western world.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Mohammed Saman Agha in Baghdad

Files on the table

Saman Agha said he discussed security, trade, oil exports, energy, water and counterterrorism with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Baghdad and hopes to help strengthen bilateral ties. He noted that tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and among Iran, Israel and the United States have seriously affected Iraq’s oil exports.

He said the water issue will become more pressing as winter approaches and that security was also on the agenda, a matter recently raised by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who he said would entrust him with important files.

A call for inclusive representation

Saman Agha called for Turkmens and Christians to be represented in the Iraqi government and for all segments of society to be included in the cabinet. He said the ministry belongs to all Turkmens, not only the ITF, and pointed to the power-sharing arrangement for the Kirkuk governorship among Turkmens, Kurds and Arabs.

Iraq’s parliament approved the former Kirkuk governor’s appointment as state minister on Oct. 15. Türkiye, Iraq, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding in April 2024 on the Development Road, a roughly 1,200-kilometer road and rail corridor planned to run from the Grand Faw Port in Basra to the Turkish border.

Iraqi Turkmen minister Saman Agha expects much stronger Iraq-Türkiye ties