Sinjar agreement between Turkey and Iraq: Steps to be taken to remove foreign armed elements from the region

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani in New York, where he was attending the 81st United Nations General Assembly. A joint statement was issued by the two countries following the closed-door meeting at the Turkish House (Türkevi).

The statement noted that the strategic relations between Turkey and Iraq were discussed in all their dimensions, and that an agreement was reached to deepen cooperation, particularly in the field of security.

The joint text recorded that a consensus had been reached on fully establishing Iraqi state authority in Sinjar and ending the presence of banned foreign armed elements in the region. In this context, it was stated that steps would be taken to remove the PKK from the region.

The declaration further conveyed that, in parallel with the progress Iraq makes in security-related steps, Turkish forces will gradually hand over the Bashiqa-Zelkan base to the Iraqi Federal Government in accordance with an agreed-upon mechanism and timeline.

Economic cooperation topics were also addressed during the meeting. It was reported that the parties reached a consensus on increasing the volume of bilateral trade and investment, implementing previously signed agreements without delay, and accelerating joint strategic steps, primarily the Development Road Project.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of Justice Yılmaz Tunç, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar, Minister of Trade Ömer Bolat, MIT Chief İbrahim Kalın, Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun, Chief Advisor to the President on Foreign Policy and Security Akif Çağatay Kılıç, and President of Defense Industries Haluk Görgün were also present at the meeting.