Turkey and Iraq pledge deeper security ties and phased handover of Bashiqa base

During talks in New York on the margins of the 81st United Nations General Assembly, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi outlined a new phase of bilateral cooperation. The two governments will work to re-establish full Iraqi state authority in the Sinjar region and eliminate the presence of banned foreign armed groups there. As security measures progress, Turkish troops will gradually cede control of the Bashiqa-Zilkan base to the Iraqi federal government under a pre-agreed schedule. In addition to security, Ankara and Baghdad committed to broaden trade and investment, fast-track previously signed accords, and push forward the Development Road Project, a transport corridor linking Iraq’s Gulf coast with Turkey and onward to European markets.