Iraqi president to visit Turkey on Thursday: FM

By Ibrahim Saleh

BAGHDAD

 Iraqi President Barham Salih on Thursday will pay his first official visit to Turkey since assuming office last October, Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed al-Hakim said Wednesday.

A top-level delegation headed by Salih will set out for Turkey on Thursday for a one-day visit, the foreign minister told reporters in capital Baghdad.

Al-Hakim -- who will be a part of the delegation, along with several other Iraqi government ministers -- added that Salih’s visit would include a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara.

Meetings are expected to focus on security and border-related issues, in addition to the ongoing crisis in neighboring Syria.

In a Wednesday statement, the Iraqi presidency said that Salih would discuss with Erdogan ways to boost bilateral ties. 

According to presidential spokesman Luqman al-Fili, the two leaders will discuss “regional and international issues of common concern”. 

Salih’s visit, al-Fili said, comes within the context of Iraq's new “openness” policy towards its neighbors and its efforts to enhance its regional role.

Iraqi officials have been holding talks with several states of the region regarding a recent U.S. decision to withdraw troops from Syria amid fears of a security vacuum that could be exploited by the Daesh terrorist group.

Last month, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to gradually withdraw the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops still stationed in Syria.