Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi attend a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, on May 15, 2019. Turkey and Iraq signed a mutually beneficial deal to strengthen military and security cooperation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Mustafa Kaya)
ANKARA, May 15 (Xinhua) -- Turkey and Iraq signed a mutually beneficial deal to strengthen military and security cooperation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday.
After meeting with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, Erdogan told reporters that they agreed on fighting against terrorism, reconstruction works in Iraq and next steps to enhance cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
Erdogan said the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of the two countries will meet soon to discuss further details of the agreements.
The two leaders also highlighted the repairing of an oil pipeline from northern Iraq to Turkey, which was damaged during the Islamic State group's presence in Iraq.
Turkish-Iraqi relations have recently gained new development with high-level visits. In January, Iraqi President Barham Salih visited Turkey and held talks with Erdogan, agreeing on enhancing cooperation in all fields.
