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Daily Sabay (13 August 2018)

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi will visit Turkey with his Cabinet members today to discuss regional matters.

Abadi is expected to meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan both privately and in the presence of the both countries' delegations, Turkish presidential sources said yesterday.

"Apart from improving the relations between Turkey and Iraq in every respect, regional matters will also be handled during the meeting," presidential sources added.

The relations between the two countries improved during past year, amid an illegitimate poll on regional independence carried out by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). Joining powers against the KRG, the two countries cooperated in the fight against terrorism as well.

Ankara has been highly vocal in its criticism of the PKK's foothold in the Sinjar mountains in Iraq, as the terrorists' position on the Turkish border poses a significant threat to the country. In mid-2014, the PKK managed to establish a foothold in Sinjar on the pretext that it was protecting the local Yazidi community from Daesh. Ankara has repeatedly said that it will not allow any terrorists to establish footholds along its borders, which is why the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) have been launching airstrikes against the PKK in northern Iraq.

https://www.dailysabah.com/diplomacy/2018/08/14/iraqi-pm-haider-al-abadi-visits-turkey-with-bilateral-regional-matters-on-agenda