Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım and his committee arrived at Baghdad yesterday morning and met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi and his committee. The two prime ministers made a joint press statement after the meeting, and Yıldırım announced that Turkish troops would withdraw from Bashiqa. Regarding the Turkish army’s occupation, Yıldırım said "This was born out of a necessity. We see that important steps have been taken in the fight against ISIS in the region. In accordance with this, we will have resolved the issue in a friendly manner."

Yıldırım also spoke on Shengal and said "Sinjar constitutes the highest danger for us and we thank the dear prime minister for his sensitivity on this issue. We will continue work together against terrorist activities that target our country not only from Sinjar but from all across Iraq."

Yıldırım also emphasized the importance of Iraq’s sovereignty for Turkey, and said that they would not participate in any effort to undermine this sovereignty.

VISIT TO HEWLER

The Turkish Prime Minister will meet with Massoud and Nechirvan Barzani in Hewler after his meetings in Baghdad.