Baghdad: Defense Minister Thabit Mohammed Saeed Al-Abbasi received Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his accompanying delegation in Baghdad today, as part of the Turkish Minister’s official visit to Iraq to discuss bilateral defense cooperation and regional issues of common interest.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, a statement by the Ministry of Defense indicated that the meeting reviewed relations between the two friendly countries and ways to enhance military and security cooperation, particularly in the areas of border control, counterterrorism, intelligence sharing, training, and capacity building, in order to strengthen the security and stability of border regions and serve the common interests of Iraq and Turkey.

The Iraqi Defense Minister affirmed the Iraqi government’s commitment to developing defense and security cooperation with Turkey based on the principles of respecting sovereignty and good neighborliness, and ensuring that Iraqi territory is not used to harm any country.

For his part, the Turkish Foreign Minister praised Iraq’s efforts in combating terrorism and protecting regional security, emphasizing his country’s desire to open new avenues for defense, technical, and military training cooperation with Iraqi institutions.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the two ministers expressed their anticipation of a new phase of joint strategic defense cooperation based on mutual trust and shared interests between the Republic of Iraq and Turkey, serving the security and stability of the region.