Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül met his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari in Ankara on Monday, pledging that Türkiye would do its utmost to help Iraq through its current difficulties.
Gül noted that the two countries had formalized cooperation through a memorandum of understanding between their foreign ministries. He said Türkiye's approach is to maintain balanced ties with all groups in Iraq and favors resolving disputes through consensus. Several training initiatives are also under consideration, he added.
The minister called on the international community to back Iraq and expressed hope that ongoing security and political reconciliation efforts would bring stability. He also noted that Türkiye had opened a consulate general in Mosul under a prior agreement, a step he described as helping normalize bilateral relations. Zebari was scheduled to travel onward to Istanbul to inaugurate an Iraqi consulate general there.
Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer received Zebari and his delegation at Çankaya Presidential Palace during the visit.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in July 2006, in its own words.