ANKARA: Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali Al-Zaidi, arrived in Turkiye on Tuesday for talks that are expected to include the construction of a pipeline to Turkiye aimed at reducing the exposure of Iraq’s oil exports to tensions in the Gulf region. It is Al-Zaidi’s third visit abroad since taking office.
Zaidi’s meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other officials will also focus on security, trade, energy, transportation and water management, Turkish officials said.
A statement from the Iraqi prime minister’s office said the sides will discuss “joint infrastructure projects in a way that serves the interests of the two neighboring countries.”
Al-Zaidi, who emerged as a consensus candidate in Iraq after months of deadlock over the premiership following last year’s parliamentary elections, is visiting Ankara on the heel of trips to Washington and Tehran.
Following Al-Zaidi’s talks with US President Donald Trump earlier this month, US companies signed roughly $60 billion in agreements and partnerships with the Iraqi government, including deals intended to create alternative routes for shipping oil out of the Arabian Gulf.
