Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 21
By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend:
Ethnic and religious divisions in policy conducted by Iraq's former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has resulted in minimizing relations between Ankara and Baghdad.
Haider al-Abadi's appointment as prime minister on September 8 after al-Maliki's departure and the formation of the new government was a chance to restore those relations.
However, the most important factor for rapprochement between Ankara and Baghdad is the existence of the "Islamic State" terrorist organization, which represents a great threat to Iraq, Syria and Turkey.
On Nov.20 Turkey's Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, considered to be the architect of the country's modern foreign policy, made a visit to Baghdad.
The main issue discussed was the common fight against the so-called Islamic State.
Both senior representatives said that the joint fight against terrorism is indispensable.
The existence of the "Islamic State" in the region, lack of significant results in the fight against terrorists and this organization's control over one third of the territory of Syria and a quarter of the territory of Iraq is a serious signal for regional countries.
Therefore, one can say that this visit, which is considered as the restoration of diplomatic ties between the two countries (Turkey and Iraq), is in fact the result of a desperate situation.
On the other hand, under the political changes currently taking place in the region, Turkey and Iraq are facing the full brunt of the 'Islamic State' despite the limited support from the US, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Today, the presence of the "Islamic State" in the region, inability of the Syrian government to control the situation, the lack of relations between Turkey and Iraq, tense relations between Baghdad and Arbil (the capital of Kurdistan Regional Government) prompt both Iraq and Turkey to seek allies against the real danger.
But it doesn't mean that they will be perfect allies. Taking into account the real situation in Iraq, we can see that the real ally for Baghdad in the majority of spheres is Tehran, but not Ankara, while the real ally for Ankara is Arbil, but not Baghdad.
Rufiz Hafizoglu is head of Trend Arabic News Service
Edited by SI
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