Turkey PM Erdogan’s visit serves to boost joint relations, MP say.

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com – Two Iraqi Members of Parliament, representing different political blocs, have described the current visit by Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdrogan, for Iraq as “boosting the joint relations between both countries.”   “The visit by Turkey’s Prime Minister for Iraq is useful for strengthening joint relations, especially that both countries enjoy trade and economic relations that are progressing forward,” the Legislature Mahmoud Othman from the Kurdistan Coalition, told IraqiNews.com news agency on Wednesday, adding that the “Turkish government is playing a major role in the Region.”   Othman expressed conviction that “such visits won’t change the Turkish viewpoint towards the Kurdish Movement, as Erdogan considered Turkey ’s Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), as a terrorist party, threatening the Turkish State , though we consider this issue as a political issue, that must be solved through dialogue.”   Othman said that the Turkish Army had launched a series of air raids on PKK bases, stationed in Iraqi Kurdistan in December, 2007, followed by one-week of ground operations in February, 2008; and since then it had been launching artillery and air raids on PKK positions inside Iraqi territories.   The MP from the Middle Alliance, Mohammed Iqbal, on his part, has described “the Turkish Prime Minister’s visit for Iraq as very important, because Turkey is considered a main player in the Region, and has a major role towards all its issues, apart from its strategic and regional position, which is open on the Middle East in general, the Arab Homeland and Iraq in special.”   Iqbal expressed hope that “Erdogan’s visit for Iraq would become a real opportunity to facilitate the issues of both countries, including the issue of water, needed by Iraq , the borders and facilitating the investment and rehabilitation works.”   “So, we pay great attention towards this visit, calling on the official circles in Iraq to emply the visit in the best possible means,” he said.   Noteworthy is that the recent period had witnessed the stepping up of the joint Iraqi-Turkish relations, especially the exchange of visits by leading officials of both countries, including a visit by Turkish President, Abdullah Gul to Baghdad on 23/3/2009, the first visit by a Turkish President for Iraq since 33 years.   Observers have noted that the language of dialogue, understanding and joint interests, had exceeded other issues of the policy of both countries, including the language used in Kurdistan Region, though the latter had been more cautious than that used in Baghdad .   FT / SKH     340