Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 6
By Orkhan Quluzade – Trend:
The presence of the Turkish Armed Forces at the Bashiqa base in northern Iraq doesn’t threaten the sovereignty of the country, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said, NTV channel reported Jan. 6.
Yildirim made the remarks in anticipation of his working visit to Baghdad and the northern Iraq’s Kurdish administration center of Erbil, which will take place Jan. 7.
The prime minister said that his visit to Iraq is aimed at strengthening the relations between Ankara and Baghdad, strengthening of economic relations, development of trade and the joint fight against terrorism.
The Turkish Armed Forces use the Bashiqa base to train soldiers of the Kurdish Peshmerga militia in the fight against the “Islamic State” (aka IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) terrorist group.
Ankara has repeatedly stated that it won’t leave the base until the threat for Turkey posed by the terrorist group is eliminated.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @o_quluzade