Turkey and Iraq agree on giving fresh momentum in bilateral relations

As the last high-level visit made by Turkey to Iraq was that of then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in March 2011, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's recent presence in Iraq for official talks is seen as a rapprochement between the two countries.
Professor M. Seyfettin Erol from Gazi University's international relations department told Sunday's Zaman that Davutoğlu's visit to Iraq might open a new page in Turkey's foreign policy towards Iraq and other countries in the region. “This visit hints that Turkey wants to revise its ‘precious loneliness' approach in foreign policy. Turkey might continue its reconstructive efforts in bilateral relations with other countries,” Erol added.
Erol went on to say that Iraq's decision to abolish visa requirements for Turkish citizens in early November can be interpreted as a move by Iraq to show its willingness to improve relations. Mehmet Şahin, also from Gazi University's international relations department, told Sunday's Zaman that the possible rapprochement between the two countries would help them to develop effective solutions for outstanding issues such as Turkey's Kurdish issue in its southeastern provinces and the threat posed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Iraq-Turkey relations have been under strain for four years due to the disagreement between the two governments and Turkey's energy cooperation with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The region exports 300,000 barrels of crude oil crude oil per day through pipelines to Turkey which are then shipped to world markets. Iraq also seeks to bolster cooperation with neighboring countries including Turkey as ISIL has overrun large swathes of Iraq since last June, amounting to 35-40 percent of Iraqi territory.
Turkey has given support to Iraq by allowing 150 Kurdish fighters to cross its border with Syria to fight against the group.
Over the last few years, due to the worsening relationship during former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's term in office, Turkish firms operating in Iraq faced difficulty in running their businesses as their licenses were revoked and Turkish goods and commodities were banned in the southern provinces. The trade between Turkey and Iraq will experience a boost if the two countries preserve the ongoing friendly climate.
The abolishment of visas for diplomatic, service and private passports, which was agreed during Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's visit to Turkey in early November, will help the revitalization of Turkish firms' activities in Iraq. Furthermore, the opening of four new border gates will facilitate efforts to stimulate trade between the two countries.
Mehmet Yeğin, a security expert from the Ankara-based International Strategic Research Organization (USAK), told Sunday's Zaman that an improvement in relations between the two countries would increase bilateral trade. “The two countries complement each other in in terms of the commodities and goods they buy from each other. Iraq is indispensable to Turkey in terms of raising its exports as it has major investment and business opportunities for Turkish firms,” Yeğin said.
Davutoğlu's visit came at a time when the Iraqi government and the autonomous KRG region have reached an agreement over Kurdish oil exports and civil service payments from Baghdad on Thursday, which would also benefit Turkey as it won't draw criticism from the Iraqi government over the purchase of Kurdish oil.
Under the agreement, Iraqi Kurdistan will give 150,000 barrels per day of oil exports -- equaling roughly half its overall shipments -- to the federal budget in return for $500 million from Baghdad.
This deal would also pave the way for trilateral energy cooperation between Turkey, Iraq and the KRG. In the near future, the state-run Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), which had been excluded from oil exploration in southern Iraq, might find more opportunities to expand its activities.