Baghdad Awaits Historic Visit by Erdogan

A scene from the city of Al-Amara shows the extent of the decline in the waters of the Euphrates River (Reuters)
A scene from the city of Al-Amara shows the extent of the decline in the waters of the Euphrates River (Reuters)
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Baghdad Awaits Historic Visit by Erdogan

A scene from the city of Al-Amara shows the extent of the decline in the waters of the Euphrates River (Reuters)
A scene from the city of Al-Amara shows the extent of the decline in the waters of the Euphrates River (Reuters)

Iraqi official sources have reported an upcoming visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Iraq with the aim of discussing unresolved issues between the two nations.

If Erdogan undertakes this visit, it will mark the first time a Turkish president has visited Iraq since Turgut Ozal’s visit in the late 1980s.

However, Erdogan has previously visited Iraq twice as Prime Minister during the tenure of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in 2008 and 2011.

While the water issue between Baghdad and Ankara remains long-standing, dating back over seven decades, Iraqi-Turkish relations have taken a new dimension since the change in Iraq in 2003.

Türkiye refused to allow the US and its allies to use the Incirlik Turkish base during the 2008 occupation of Iraq.

However, Türkiye approached the Iraqi issue from various angles, similar to how Iran handled it at a time when Iranian-US relations were negative, and both sides used Iraqi territory to settle their scores.

Although Türkiye benefited from its positive relationship with the US, it distanced itself from it regarding its agenda in Iraq.

While Tehran appeared to have friends among the Shia political elite in Iraq, Ankara had friends among the Sunni political class in the country.

Türkiye was also accused of controlling the Turkmen card in Iraq and influencing Kurdish affairs by pursuing the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an opposition group, within Iraqi territory.

Türkiye, on the other hand, accused Iraq of harboring PKK elements within its borders and established military bases in several areas in northern Iraq.

This move complicated Türkiye’s relationship with the Kurds in the Kurdistan Region, as well as its relations with certain Shia factions that viewed Türkiye’s actions as an occupation of Iraqi territory.

While Erdogan can discuss numerous issues with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad, the most prominent ones will remain the water file, followed by the PKK issue.



US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Revokes Foreign Terrorist Designation for Syria's HTS

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)
Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a Ministerial formation of the government of the Syrian Arab Republic, in Damascus, Syria March 29, 2025. (Reuters)

President Donald Trump's administration on Monday revoked the foreign terrorist organization designation for Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, as Washington moves to remove US sanctions on Syria to help the country rebuild following years of a civil war.

In December, opposition factions led by HTS ousted Syria's former president Bashar al-Assad in a lightning offensive. Then-HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa became Syria's president and said he wanted to build an inclusive and democratic Syria.

HTS was previously known as al-Nusra Front when it was al-Qaeda's Syria branch. It broke off ties with al-Qaeda in 2016.

In May, Sharaa met with Trump in Riyadh where, in a major policy shift, the Republican president unexpectedly announced he would lift US sanctions on Syria, prompting Washington to significantly ease its measures.

"This FTO revocation is an important step in fulfilling President Trump’s vision of a stable, unified, and peaceful Syria," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement, adding that the revocation will come into effect on Tuesday.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order terminating US sanctions program on Syria, a move that aims to end the country's isolation from the international financial system.

Syria's foreign ministry told Reuters that the lifting of sanctions on HTS was a "positive step toward correcting a course that previously hindered constructive engagement."

The written statement said Syria hoped the move would "contribute to the removal of remaining restrictions that continue to impact Syrian institutions and officials, and open the door to a rational, sovereign-based approach to international cooperation."

The ministry also said that Sharaa was planning to attend the upcoming United Nations General Assembly in September. The UN Security Council still has sanctions on both HTS and Sharaa himself, which require a Council decision to remove.