At a Glance:

• Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives Haibat al-Halbousi met with İbrahim Kalın, Head of Turkey’s National Intelligence Organization (MİT), in Ankara before departing for Erbil.
• The meeting focused on bilateral security coordination, regional stability, and steps to ensure all weapons in Iraq are brought under exclusive state control.
• Discussions covered strategic economic cooperation, including the Development Road Project, water infrastructure modernization, agricultural initiatives, and housing projects.
• Al-Halbousi voiced explicit support for Ankara's peace and solution process, noting its success would yield crucial security benefits across the wider region.

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Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives Haibat al-Halbousi met with İbrahim Kalin, Head of the Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MİT), in the Turkish capital on Friday before continuing his itinerary to Erbil. According to security sources cited by Turkey’s Anadolu Agency, the high-level meeting evaluated security coordination, regional stability, state arms control in Iraq, and multi-billion-dollar economic infrastructure projects linking the two neighboring nations.

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Key Statements and Focus Area:

• Haibat al-Halbousi (Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives):
  ​The meeting covered regional and international developments, alongside ways to enhance cooperation between Iraq and Turkiye, particularly in the fields of security and counter-terrorism.

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Core Outcomes of the Ankara Security & Economic Discussions

Strategic Sector	Agenda Items & Focus Areas	Operational Mechanism / Goal
Regional Security	Restricting weapons under exclusive state control	Strengthening central Iraqi state authority over armed factions.
Counterterrorism	Support for Ankara's "Terror-Free Turkey" process	Enhancing border security and cross-border intelligence sharing.
Infrastructure	Development Road Project & housing initiatives	Integrating transport corridors connecting the Gulf to Europe via Turkey.
Water & Agriculture	Modernization of Iraq's water management systems	Joint technical efforts to address regional drought and agricultural allocation.

Security Coordination and State Monopoly on Arms

A central pillar of the Ankara talks focused on security measures required to maintain stability across the shared border. Kalin and al-Halbousi evaluated ongoing Iraqi federal efforts to ensure that all weapons remain strictly under state control. Al-Halbousi reiterated Baghdad’s endorsement of Turkey's broader regional security initiatives, stressing that suppressing non-state armed groups creates the necessary environment for economic integration.

Economic Infrastructure and the Development Road

Beyond security, both officials discussed advancing major economic projects, chief among them the Development Road Project, a flagship railway and highway network designed to connect Southern Iraq to Turkey's border. The discussions also addressed immediate technical support from Ankara for modernizing Iraq’s critical water infrastructure, advancing agricultural modernization, and expanding post-war reconstruction and housing projects across Iraqi provinces.

FYI

By meeting with Turkey's top intelligence chief prior to visiting Erbil, Speaker al-Halbousi highlights the growing alignment between Baghdad, Ankara, and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on regional stability. Securing Turkish technical expertise for Iraq's water crisis while coordinating on border security positions both nations to advance the Development Road framework.

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