SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar visited Erbil late on Monday for talks with senior Kurdish officials.
Akar was welcomed by Minister of Peshmerga Shorish Ismael at Erbil International Airport upon his arrival to the Region’s capital.
The Turkish defense minister will hold talks with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday, according to Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu Agency.
Akar is expected to discuss with Kurdish officials the latest political and security developments and increasing cooperation to protect borders between the Region and Turkey.
The Turkish official arrived in Baghdad on Monday morning and met with his Iraqi counterpart Juma Inad, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and President Barham Salih.
Kadhimi and Akar agreed on the importance of addressing “terrorist threats” along their shared border, the Iraqi PM’s office said in a statement.
They also agreed that stability in the border areas “would open the doors for more cooperation between the two countries,” the statement said.
After his meeting with the Iraqi defense minister, Akar said there “are close ties beyond brotherhood between the two countries”, according to Daily Sabah.
“We can overcome the challenges in our region together … We can make our region a center of peace and security. We respect Iraq’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, well-being and welfare. Iraq’s political unity is a must for us. As we have always said, our only aim is to protect our people and our borders, live in peace and welfare within the limits of those borders while defending our rights and interests,” Daily Sabah quoted Akar as saying.
“Cooperation and coordination against the PKK terrorist group play a very important role. We are ready for every possible coordination with Iraq,” he added, referring to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party.
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.
