Davutoğlu is expected to depart today for a two-day visit to Iraq, the first stop of which will be Basra in southern Iraq. Following the inauguration of Turkey's consulate general in Basra, Davutoğlu and the accompanying delegation -- the state minister for foreign trade, Zafer Çağlayan, and a 70-member business delegation -- will proceed to Mosul and Arbil in the north. The inauguration of Turkey's consulate general in Mosul will take place on Saturday.
The president of the largely autonomous Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, attaches great importance to Davutoğlu's visit. Salih said he believed that the visit will pave the way for significant bilateral agreements between Turkey and the region.
“The visit will also serve as a means for new initiatives between the region and Turkey,” Salih said, underlining his will for the improvement of bilateral relations between his government and the Turkish government.
Diplomatic sources didn't elaborate on Davutoğlu's contacts in the region and whether he will have talks with Barzani. Yet, Safeen Dizayee, a foreign affairs spokesperson for Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), earlier this week told Agence France-Presse that his talks will include Barzani.
