On the third day of his Iraq visit, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu met with Iraq's Vice Prime Minister Hussein al-Shahristani in the Prime Ministry's Undersecretary building.
Kilicdaroglu and Hussein al-Shahristani made an announcement to press members and stated that they had talked about the development of bilateral relations. Shahristani said that they underlined that the agreements between the two countries should be made between the central governments and had shared their opinions about the mutual usage of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Iraq's reconstruction, as well as the Syrian crisis, were especially discussed between the leaders.
"Iraq is one of the strong countries in the region and has great potential. If Turkish-Iraqi relations are placed on solid ground, both countries would profit from it," Kilicdaroglu said by stating that they had discussed how to undertake more efficient efforts, particularly in energy in Turkish-Syrian relations and nearby countries of Syria," Kilicdaroglu said.
Kilicdaroglu stated that existing problems would be solved through mutual dialogue as the two countries made peace dominant in the region, contributing to their own development. The CHP's leader also said that Hussein al-Shahristani stressed that Turkish businessmen could make important investments in the reconstruction of Iraq. There was also a decision that the two neigbours should not intervene in each other's internal affairs.
In response to a question regarding the details of the issues of Syria and the water problem, Kilicdaroglu replied that the CHP's opinion is in favor of a conference being organized. He also reminded that they had announced their opinion two years ago and said, "the Arab League, EU, Iraq's neighbours and the parties in Syria can solve the Syrian problem by coming together. We clearly support the Geneva process of which some steps have already been taken. We hope the Syrian problem can be solved peacefully in these meetings."
After the meeting Kilicdaroglu visited Iraq's Parliament to meet the President of the Assembly.
News reports say that the CHP leader cancelled his Kirkuk trips after Baghdad officials warned him not to visit Kirkuk. It was stated that it would be better to conduct the meetings with the Turkmen committee in Baghdad.
Kilicdaroglu and a CHP delegation are visiting Iraq as the guests of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. It is expected that Kilicdaroglu will meet with Najaf.
englishnews@aa.com.tr
