(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) ANKARA, Aug 14 (KUNA) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that he considers prosperity and stability of his nation and neighboring Iraq as intertwined.
Speaking at a news conference with his guest, Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi, president Erdogan said "terrorist organizations" must be wiped out, in coordination with Iraq, offering support for Baghdad in the fight against such groups, namely the so-called Islamic State and the Kurdish Workers Party of Kurdistan (the PKK). "There is no difference between these two groups; they both kill the young and the old brutally," Erdogan said.
The president added that he held talks with premier Al-Abadi on commercial, economic and cultural issues.
Re-affirming support for Iraq's territorial sanctity and unity, Erdogan expressed hope to see a new Iraqi government that groups Iraqis of all trends, hoping to establish cooperation at the economic and security levels with such an aspired administration in Baghdad.
Erdogan called for upping level of trade exchanges between the two countries, noting that the current volume of trade exchanges, estimated at USD 11 billion, is far lower than the two countries' potentials.
For his part, Al-Abadi has assured his host that Baghdad rejects any "terrorist attacks" on Turkey from Iraqi territories, noting that the National Iraqi Security Council has mapped out a plan to tighten control over the Iraqi-Turkish borders. Moreover, Al-Abadi noted that Turkey had pledged USD five billion worth of aid for his country during the Kuwait-hosted international conference for rebuilding Iraq, in addition to a promise to help Iraq get sufficient water resources.
Al-Abadi has affirmed that his current mission in Turkey is aimed at boosting the cooperation with Ankara in water, agriculture, security, energy, investments, culture, industries and commerce as well as at consolidating the borders' security.
Moreover, he expressed support for Turkey "in its monetary crisis," alluding to the record fall of the Turkish lira, amid US sanctions and higher tariffs on key Turkish products. (end) rs.rk
MENAFN1408201800710000ID1097295101
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.