Erdoğan's visit came only four months after Turkey carried out a land operation into the country's north to strike bases of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). A strategic alliance deal signed during the prime minister's visit to Iraq, committing the two countries to maintaining high-level strategic dialogue in the areas of trade, energy and security, has opened a new era in relations with Iraq, many commentators say.Star's Mustafa Karaalioğlu thinks Erdoğan's visit is not merely symbolic one and will mark a turning point in Turkish-Iraqi relations. He says the developments in recent months -- Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's official visit to Turkey, a Turkish delegation visiting Iraq and now the prime minister's Iraq trip -- all point to Turkish military and diplomatic skills and Turkey's desire to resolve a series of problems it has been dealing with, including the fight against the PKK. Referring to the establishment of a high-level strategic council between Turkey and Iraq during Erdoğan's visit, Karaalioğlu remarks that neither country has a similar deal with another country ensuring negotiations at the highest level and coordination in security, energy, diplomacy and economic relations. "From the very beginning, Turkey was saying its problem was not with the northern Iraqi or Iraqi administration, but with PKK terrorism. It underlined this while carrying out the cross-border operation into northern Iraq. Ankara has shown that it kept its promise. It concluded the military operations sensitively, as promised, and opened the door to a relationship with Baghdad, which is more than [a] neighborhood [relation]," he says.
Milliyet's Hasan Cemal also comments on the new strategic partnership mechanism established between Turkey and Iraq, saying it is crucial for Turkish-Iraqi relations to be united with a new structure foreseeing a new model and institutionalization. Cemal finds this mechanism to be of a kind that will contribute to the peace and stability of both countries and the region. "If this mechanism can be run efficiently, not only Turkey and Iraq but also the entire Middle East will benefit," adds Cemal.
Sabah's Erdal Şafak gives some information about how the high-level strategic council will function, saying the council will be presided over by the prime ministers of both countries and gather at least once annually. Ministers from both countries responsible for security, energy, diplomacy and economy will also gather at least three times a year to review progress on issues under discussion. He also agrees that this deal will further improve the developing relations with Iraq, with which Turkey had so far been unable to focus on due to the PKK problem.
