SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi Defense Minister Juma Inad arrived in Turkey on an official visit on Sunday, state news agency (INA) reported.
Inad will meet Turkish officials including his counterpart Hulusi Akar during his visit which was at the request of the Turkish defense minister, according to INA.
On December 17, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi leading a high-level delegation visited Ankara at request of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Erdogan said Ankara and Baghdad agreed to continue their cooperation in fighting Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and that they viewed the PKK as their “common enemies”.
“There is no place for separatist terrorism in Turkey, Iraq or Syria,” Erdogan said. “Our region will not find peace until terrorism is quashed.”
Kadhimi also said during his visit to Ankara that Iraq would not allow any groups to use Iraqi soil for attacks inside Turkey, and that it was cooperating with Ankara to confront terror groups.
Turkey has conducted numerous ground and aerial cross-border offensives into neighboring northern Iraq to attack PKK fighters, who maintains bases in the region.
The PKK’s insurgency against the Turkish state is believed to have killed tens of thousands of people since being launched in 1984.
