Turkey’s Erdogan, Iraq’s Abdul Mahdi discuss military cooperation

Ankara and Baghdad have discussed a possible deal to increase military and security cooperation between the neighboring countries, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

Erdogan spoke to reporters in Ankara after meetings with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Wednesday.

The Turkish leader said a pipeline running from Iraqi oil fields to Turkey, which was damaged during the presence of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) in Iraq, should rapidly be repaired and become operational.

Ankara is likely to look to Iraq for its oil supplies after the US announced an end to waivers that have allowed Turkey to import from Iran despite sanctions, AP said.