U.S. Ambassador says Turkey-Iraq relations improving
Güncelleme Tarihi:
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, who gave his testimony to U.S. Congress on Tuesday, said relations between the Iraqi and Turkish governments strengthened after the Turkish cross-border operations into northern Iraq in February.
U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker, who appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to give his assessment of the political, economic and diplomatic developments in Iraq on Tuesday, said both the Turkish and Iraqi governments started to work to strengthen their ties after the Turkish cross-border operation in February.
Crocker said, "The presence of the PKK terrorist organization in the remote mountains of (northern) Iraq and along the Turkish border has produced tension between Turkey and Iraq, and led to a Turkish cross-border operation in February, including the movement of Turkish ground forces into Iraq." He also defined the visit which Talabani made to Turkey in March as successful.
Crocker also mentioned Iraq's neighbours and told, "Iraq's neighbors also understand they have a major interest in Iraq's future. Turkey hosted the second ministerial meeting of Iraq's neighbors in November."
Photo: Reuters