ANKARA
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will make a formal visit to Iraq, and to the Kurdish Regional Government on November 20 and 21.
On the agenda are discussions of the threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, bilateral relations and energy security issues.
Davutoglu will meet Iraqi President Fouad Massoum, his aides, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Salim Jabouri along with Turkmen deputies and other representatives of the Turkmen community in Iraq upon invitation of his Iraqi counterpart Haidar al-Abadi, according to a statement from Turkish Prime Ministry's Press Office.
The visit will be a good opportunity to give a further impetus to relations between the two countries, following the establishment of the new central government in Iraq in early September, according to Turkish Prime Ministry sources.
The ministry sources also stated that Davutoglu's visit will serve as a sign of Turkey's support to the new government led by al-Abadi, and the importance attached to the bilateral relations.
The sources emphasized Ankara's satisfaction with the agreement reached between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government on energy issues. Turkey is ready to make contributions of every kind for Iraq to regain its economic and political stability by using its own resources.
Baghdad and Erbil had come to an agreement to resolve the conflict on oil exports -- the row over the Kurdish region's right to sell oil it drills -- and re-establish trust last Friday.
Meanwhile, Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz announced earlier Wednesday that the central Iraqi government will begin transporting oil again. Transports were suspended in March due to the dispute, but will start again on Wednesday with 150,000 barrels per day.
The international anti-terrorism efforts especially those regarding the recent ISIL threat will also be a hot topic on the agenda of the official talks during Turkish premier's visit to the country.
ISIL militants have taken over large swathes of Iraq since last June and since then there has been continuous fighting between ISIL and the Iraqi army working with peshmerga fighters from the Kurdish region.
ISIL has taken control of the Raqqa, Deir ez Zor and al Omar oil fields in the north of Syria since last November. They have also continued to seize large amounts of territory in Iraq since June and claim to hold around 17 percent of Iraq's oil resources.
Davutoglu will also speak at a joint press conference after meeting with Iraqi Premier Haidar al-Abadi.
Following talks with Iraqi president, his aides, Iraqi Parliament Speaker and Turkmen deputies in Baghdad, the Turkish premier will move on to Iraqi Kurdish region to meet regional President Massoud Barzani and Prime Minister Nachirvan Barzani.
www.aa.com.tr/en
