In addition, the Turkish foreign minister is paying a historic visit to Arbil. Before opening the Turkish Consulate General in Basra yesterday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said Turks and Iraqis will develop their future together. "They will also shape their future together," Davutoğlu told a joint press conference with Iraqi Minister of Trade Safaa al-Deen al-Safi and Governor Sheltag Abboud Mayah of the Iraqi province of Basra. Referring to the Turkish Consul General in Basra Ali Rıza Öncoşkun, Foreign Minister Davutoğlu joked that his name will be changed to Ali Rıza Basrai because his duty will be to serve to people of Basra as well as Turkey.
Davutoğlu is accompanied by State Minister for Foreign Trade Zafer Cağlayan and the two ministers are the first foreign and state ministers from a foreign country visiting Basra, which is the main port of Iraq and the second largest and most populous city after Baghdad.
Indicating that Turkey and Iraq signed 48 agreements in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad two weeks ago, Davutoğlu said Turkey considered Iraq’s welfare and peace as its own.
“Turkish-Iraqi cooperation will change the fate of the entire region in a positive way,” Davutoğlu said, adding that the hard days would pass. He also reminded that Turks and Iraqis fought in Kut-al Amara in Basra in reference to the successful defense in 1916 against British attack.
Iraqi Minister of Trade al-Safi said Turkish-Iraqi relations would further improve with this historic visit.
Governor Mayah said Iraq, particularly Basra, had been a center of attraction for foreign investors in the past, and Iraqis and Turks should work hand-in-hand to eradicate terrorism. Mayah presented to Davutoğlu with a painting which depicted old Basra and said that the present is “simple” but their real present to the Turkish delegation is “the love which overflows from their hearts.”
As Davutoğlu reiterated that implementing agreements is more important than signing them, Çağlayan said in a joint press conference with al-Safi that Turkey and Iraq will collaborate to set up an organized industry zone in Basra.
Turkey and Iraq are already working on a project to establish such an industry zone in Nasiriyah, Çağlayan said and added, “A similar one will soon be established here in Basra.”
Çağlayan also said the signed agreements would play a “key role” in Iraq’s economic and commercial future. He said there were six large-scale industrial plants in Basra, which he described as Iraq’s commercial capital, and added that these plants had been partially operated, especially by the chemical industry.
“We will also have talks with Iraqi officials to hand over these plants to Turkish businessmen to be fully operated,” he said.
In addition, he said Turkey will also organize a trade fair in Basra.
The minister also reiterated a proposal to make investments in Iraq in return for Iraqi oil.
“I would like to restate our proposal: Iraq can give Turkey oil in exchange for the financing needed for Turkish investments here,” Çağlayan said, adding that Turkey’s main goal is to bring more investments into Iraq instead of just selling more goods to the country.
“There are 80 businessmen accompanying us on our visit here and they are willing to make investments in the construction, tourism, food and service sectors,” Çağlayan said.
He stressed that Turkish businessmen can export to countries like United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Iran and Saudi Arabia from Basra. Çağlayan added that Turkish exports to Iraq were worth $3.8 billion last year and the amount for this year will be twice that of last year’s figure. Among Turkey’s 70 provinces which export to Iraq, he said the first 11 are the eastern and southeastern provinces of Turkey.
Davutoğlu and Çağlayan participated in a business forum in Basra. Foreign Minister Davutoğlu said the “axis from Basra to İstanbul would bring welfare and stability to the region.”
Davutoğlu also said foreign ministers from countries such as France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States have already been to Iraq several times to improve ties and Turkey has been late to do the same.
Davutoğlu departed from Basra to Arbil in the north yesterday evening. The inauguration of Turkey’s consulate general in Mosul is expected to take place today.
Davutoğlu had a meeting with the president of the largely autonomous Kurdish region, Massoud Barzani, in Arbil. Other officials from the Iraqi Kurdish regional administration such as Barham Salih, the new prime minister of the Kurdish region who took over from Necirvan Barzani, were present at the meeting, in addition to Kerim Sincari, interior relations official, and Falah Mustafa, a foreign relations official, from the Iraq Kurdistan Patriotic Union (IKYB).
The officials talked about security and terrorism issues as well as improving economic relations. Davutoğlu had bilateral talks with Barzani and Salih.
“The visit will also serve as a means for new initiatives between the region and Turkey,” Salih said, underlining his will to improve the bilateral relations between his government and the Turkish government.
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