BAGHDAD - Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday his visit to Iraq carried historical importance for not only bilateral relations but also the region itself.
Erdogan and his Iraqi counterpart Nuri al-Maliki held a press conference following their tete-a-tete meeting in Baghdad on Thursday.
"I am pleased about the hospitality displayed towards me in Baghdad. As the first Turkish prime minister visiting Iraq after 18 years, I am pleased to be here with my brothers and sisters," Erdogan said.
"I am confident that from now on we will not wait for another 18 years before a Turkish prime minister visits Iraq. The agreement we have signed on Thursday for the establishment of a high strategic cooperation council is a symbol of our determination to promote relations," Erdogan said.
"Turkey and Iraq will get together once every year with the participation of prime ministers and three times with the participation of relevant ministers. Al-Maliki and I co-chaired the first meeting of the high strategic cooperation council," Erdogan said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said that "both Turkey and Iraq are ready for a new term of cooperation. The two countries are making progress in the fight against terrorism."
(SOL-MS)
(POL)