Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu got together with Iraq's Turkmen lawmakers at an exclusive fast breaking dinner in Ankara on Saturday, where recent political developments in Iraq were discussed, Anadolu Agency reported.
Davutoglu urged Turkmen lawmakers in the Iraqi National Parliament to let aside partisan differences and act in unison in issues concerning the Turkmen population of Iraq, calling on them to form a Turkmen group in the parliament.
Davutoglu emphasized that Turkey attached importance to unity among ethnic groups in Iraq.
Iraq's Minister of Youth and Sports Jasim Muhammad Jafar of the Iraqi Turkmen Islam Union who spoke at the dinner, said Iraqi Turkmens wanted unity in Iraq and were against a divide.
Jafar who said that Turkmen lawmakers in Iraq would agree over a road map and forge an alliance in the future, said their utmost priorities were unity of Iraq, advocating rights of Turkmens and ensuring representation of Turkmens in several state bodies.
Jafar who pointed at the upcoming sensus, pledged international support asking justice for Turkmens.
Jale Yunus Neftci, an Iraqi Turkmen Front lawmaker said the Turkmens were against the sensus, because the demographic structure of the Turkmeneli (homeland of the Turkmens) was altered, which created an unjust situation for the Turkmen population.