Iraqi PM says Baghdad works on Syria-Turkey reconciliation
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Iraqi government is working on reconciliation between Syria and Turkey, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani stated on Friday.
Sudani said in an interview with Turkey’s private Haberturk TV that he is in communication with both Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to work towards reconciliation, adding, “We will see some steps in this regard soon.”
Since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, Erdogan has supported armed opposition factions against the Syrian government. In 2022, however, Erdogan announced that removing al-Assad from power was no longer a priority for his government. Despite Russia’s efforts to facilitate talks between Turkey and Syria, discussions did not result in any significant progress.
Moreover, referring to Iraq’s participation in normalization efforts between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Sudani pointed out that they are attempting “to reach a similar basis for reconciliation and dialogue between Syria and Turkey.”
Sudani stated that the security threats faced by both Turkey and Iraq from Syria are coming from areas within Syria that are not under the control of the Syrian government.
Turkish President Erdogan visited Iraq in April, marking his first visit in 13 years.
In May, Syrian Minister of Interior, Mohammad Khaled al-Rahmoun, signed a memorandum of security cooperation with his Iraqi counterpart, Abdul Amir al-Shammari, during a visit to Baghdad to control their joint borders.