Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani and his delegation met with Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus in Ankara, where they emphasized the need to strengthen economic and security ties between Iraq and Turkey.

At a joint news conference with Kurtulmus, al-Mashhadani said the Development Road project is a strategic necessity for both countries and stressed the importance of economic and security coordination.

“We must continue to strengthen our relations… Our relations are above expectations,” al-Mashhadani said. He also expressed satisfaction with the upcoming visit of the Turkish parliament speaker to Baghdad.

Al-Mashhadani called for unity among Muslim countries, stating, “If Muslim countries had united, this tragedy would not have happened in Gaza. As you can see, Iran has dealt a significant blow to Israel’s prestige. We must strengthen our unity. I hope the visit will be beneficial for both countries.”

Meanwhile, Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus urged closer cooperation between Ankara and Baghdad. He highlighted the “terror-free Turkey” initiative, which has received support from Iraq, as important for both Turkey and the wider region.

“The level of trade between Iraq and Turkey is encouraging. Our mutual goal is to increase our trade volume from $15 billion to $30 billion in the shortest possible time,” Kurtulmus said.

He added, “We hope that the terror-free Turkey process, which has been welcomed by Iraq, will lead to an end to terrorism in the region.”

Kurtulmus further expressed hope to strengthen relations and coordination across all areas between the two countries.