ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in Ankara on Tuesday, meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Iraq's new premier said he seeks to bolster ties with Turkey in various fields.
The trip comes after Zaidi's visits to the United States and Iran, and is his first official visit to Turkey since taking office in May.
Before leaving Iraq, Zaidi said in a statement that he wants to "strengthen political and economic relations between the two countries."
He added that Iraq is "bound to Turkey by historical, geographic, and civilizational proximity, and by shared and diverse interests. Our visit will address the files of investment, water, and the Development Road, as well as efforts to bolster stability in the region, alongside discussing a number of economic and security matters, in a way that contributes to achieving mutual benefit for our two friendly peoples."
Erdogan received Zaidi and his delegation soon after they arrived in the Turkish capital.
No statements have been published by either side of the meeting.
The Development Road Project is a $17 billion infrastructure initiative aimed at transforming Iraq into a major transit corridor. The route will extend approximately 1,200 kilometers from the Grand al-Faw Port in Iraq's southern Basra province to the Fishkhabur border crossing with Turkey.
Iraq and Turkey have deepened ties in recent years. Turkish construction firms are among the largest foreign contractors working on Iraqi infrastructure. Energy cooperation has centered on the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline. Security has also been a recurring theme in the relationship: during a 2024 visit to Baghdad, Erdogan and Iraq's then-Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani discussed joint steps against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and signed a strategic framework agreement, after Iraq designated the group banned.
