by Ghassan Awad
BAGHDAD, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Economic topics dominated the visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Iraq, with a fruitful package of accords which would pave the way to a boost economic activities between the two neighboring states.
Erdogan arrived in Baghdad on an official visit on Thursday to meet with Iraqi leaders with the aim of signing agreements of cooperation between the two countries.
More than 45 agreements and memorandums of understanding between the two neighboring countries have been signed on Thursday night with the attendance of the Turkish prime minister and his Iraqi counterpart Nuri al-Maliki.
The agreements touched upon the fields of electricity, security, agriculture, environment, industry, commerce, transportation, infrastructure, education, and other fields, which would contribute to providing basic services to the Iraqi people.
"I think the establishment of deep relationship and connection between Iraq and Turkey based on joint interest and mutual respect will be a sample to regional cooperation and understanding," Maliki said in a joint press conference with Erdogan after the signing ceremony on Thursday night.
"Rapid development in our bilateral relationship with the neighboring Turkey is a strong evidence of the fact that dialogue and mutual respect are the only way to boost best cooperation and understanding for the countries in the region," he said.
Maliki described Erdogan's visit to Baghdad as a message to all neighboring countries that Iraq has a real desire to establish deep relationships with all countries.
On his part, Erdogan said, "signing of these significant agreements is the beginning of a new stage in our bilateral relations, and there is a serious desire to further advance the relations."
Erdogan showed his desire in increasing soon the current commercial exchange between the two countries from 5 billion U.S. dollars to 20 billion dollars.
He described the agreements as "planting seeds and we will get the fruit in the future."
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani also met with the Turkish prime minister, confirming the importance of this visit, as "it has large positive effects on the path of the development of the bilateral relations between Iraq and Turkey in all fields."
"We welcome the visit of the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Iraq, considering it a support to the Iraqi people, and it is an affirmation of friendship and strategic alliance between Iraq and Turkey," Talabani said in a joint press conference with Erdogan.
The one-day visit also included a meeting between Erdogan, witha large Turkish delegation, and Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, who said in a statement issued by his office that "strategic and bilateral relationships between the two countries were discussed between the two sides in addition to other several significant issues."
The statement expressed Hashemi's delight in signing the agreements and the memorandums of understanding between the two neighboring countries.
Moreover, Hashemi called on Erdogan to "use Turkey's good relationship with Iran to urge Iran for more water entering into Iraq.
Erdogan promised to submit the issue during his impending visit to Iran, the statement said.
Hashemi also called on Turkey to help solve Kirkuk issue by employing the Iraqi people from all different sects and components of Kirkuk in projects carried out by Turkish industrial firms in the city, the statement said, adding that "Turkey could solve several pending political problems across the economical gate."
Kirkuk, some 250 km north of Baghdad, is one of the disputed areas among Arab, Turkmen and Kurdish communities. The area has long been the hot bed of insurgency since the U.S.-led invasion in2003.
Despite the domination of the economic stamp on the visit, the two sides also discussed regional political issues, such as fighting terrorism and Turkish role in Iraq-Syria diplomatic disputes.
