Turkey does not want Iraq 'to become battle zone' amid US-Iran tensions

Turkey does not want Iraq to become a battle zone of foreign forces, Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu said. The minister was in Baghdad on Jan. 9 amid recently increased tensions between the United States and Iran. “Iraq is not alone. We will work together with Iraq to overcome the difficult days,” Çavuşoğu said.

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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has met Iraqi top officials in the capital Baghdad, emphasizing that Ankara does not “want Iraq to become a battle zone of foreign forces” amid recently increased tensions between the United States and Iran.

“Iraq is not alone. We will work together with Iraq to overcome the difficult days,” Çavuşoğu told a press conference along with his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed al-Hakim on Jan. 9.

Çavuşoğlu's visit came amid heightened tension between the U.S. and Iran, which reached a critical level after the latter launched missiles at U.S.-led forces in Iraq early on Jan. 8, retaliating for the U.S. drone strike on an Iranian commander whose killing last week stoked fears of a new Middle East war.

The U.S. last week killed Qassem Soleimani, the architect of Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East, in an overnight attack in Baghdad authorized by President Donald Trump.

Iraq’s parliament called on Jan. 5 for U.S. and other foreign military forces to leave amid a growing backlash against the Soleimani’s killing.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Al-Hakim, for his part, affirmed that talks with his Turkish counterpart on Jan. 9 focused on the need to respect Iraq's sovereignty from all sides.

Prior to his meeting with Al-Hakim, Çavuşoğlu met with Iraqi President Barham Salih and Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi.

“We evaluated what we could do together to reduce the tension in the region. We emphasized the importance we attach to the unity and stability of Iraq,” Çavuşoğlu said on a Twitter post, following his meeting with the Iraqi president.

The Turkish minister had announced his arrival on Twitter: "In #Baghdad to discuss our relations w/brotherly #Iraq and regional developments."

Turkish Foreign Ministry had on Jan. 8 announced that Çavuşoğlu would head to Iraq a day later.

“Within the context of our intensified diplomatic efforts to alleviate the escalated tension in the aftermath of recent developments in the region, Çavuşoğlu will pay a visit to Iraq,” the ministry had said.