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Biden calls Turkish PM amid rising violence in Iraq

Other News Materials 6 January 2012 08:11 (UTC +04:00)

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Thursday called Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on regional issues, White House said in a statement, amid rising violence in Iraq, Turkey's important neighbor, Xinhua reported.

White House said that "in the context of close U.S.-Turkish consultation on matters of mutual interest," the two discussed regional issues, including political developments in Iraq.

The call came at a time when Iraq was stuck in a deepening political crisis after the country's highest judiciary body issued an arrest warrant for Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi on terror charges.

Amid an escalation of violence, a spate of car bombs, roadside bombs and rocket attacks rattled Baghdad, Iraq's capital, on Thursday, killing at least 65 people so far.

"Following up on their conversation during the Vice President's trip to Turkey in December, the two leaders agreed on the need to advance security, support the rule of law and encourage democracy in the region," said the White House, adding that the two governments would remain in regular contact on these issues.

In early December last year, Biden visited Turkey, a critical player in the region's geopolitical landscape, on issues such as crisis in Syria, fight against the outlawed Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK) and Iraq's stability after U.S. withdrawal.

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