ANKARA - Iraq`s Water Resources Minister Latif Rashid said Monday Turkey provided adequate water to Iraq in the recent past.
Meeting Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen in Ankara on Monday, Rashid said, "Iraq requests more water from Turkey due to the ongoing drought".
"We contributed to relations between Turkey and Iraq by holding the Iraq International Fair in Gaziantep, Turkey. We will double our trade volume soon. The peoples of Turkey and Iraq are very close to each other. Our relations develop every day", said Rashid.
"I have brought a special message from Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. We are proposing establishment of a high committee to be co-chaired by al-Maliki and Erdogan. I will also convey a message of al-Maliki inviting Erdogan to Iraq", Rashid also said.
Tuzmen said that Turkey`s goal was to increase its trade volume with Iraq to five billion USD in 2008.
"More than 50,000 people attended the third international Baghdad fair in Gaziantep this month. Around 8,000 of this amount were foreigners. This fair contributes to commercial relations between Turkey and Iraq. We plan to reach a total trade volume of five billion USD with Iraq by the end of this year", Tuzmen also said.
Rashid was later received by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
(SOL-MS)