Opening Turkish consulate in Basra on Monday – source

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will inaugurate his country’s consulate in Basra next Monday (June 22) during his visit to Iraq, an official source in Basra said Thursday. “Turkish foreign minister will visit Iraq, during which he will open the Turkish consulate in Basra on June 22,” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. “The minister will hold talks with Basra governor and a number of senior officials on means to expand cooperation between the two countries, as well as the Turkish companies’ preparations for investing in Basra,” he added. The Turkish consulate will be the fourth in Basra, where the U.S., British and Iranian consulates are existed. On June 11, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Burak Ozugergin said that Ahmet Davutoglu will be visiting Iraq shortly. Asked if Davutoglu will visit Arbil during the visit, Ozugergin said that the preparations and the schedule of Davutoglu’s visit are currently underway. Earlier, diplomatic sources said that Davutoglu will visit Iraq on June 15, but the visit was postponed due to the busy schedule of Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari during this month. Basra is 590 km south of Baghdad. SH (S)   1