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Turkish FM in Erbil, Discusses Security, Trade Relations

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. (Reuters)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. (Reuters)
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Turkish FM in Erbil, Discusses Security, Trade Relations

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. (Reuters)
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. (Reuters)

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu held talks in Erbil on Monday with several Kurdish officials on his first visit to the region since a failed independence referendum in 2017 that strained ties with Ankara.

His discussions focused on bolstering security and trade relations.

He held closed-door meetings with the officials from the Iraqi Turkmen Front. Talks focused on Turkmen living in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.

Cavusoglu stressed that Ankara will continue to push for Turkmen to obtain their rights in Iraq seeing as they make up the third largest minority in the country.

The minister then met with Kurdistan intelligence chief Masrour Barzani, who could potentially be tasked with forming a new Kurdistan government. He then met with President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani. He concluded his visit by holding talks with Qubad Talabani, a senior member of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

Informed sources said that talks also focused on efforts to confront the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has led an insurgency against Turkey and is based on the border between Iraq, Iran and Turkey.

A senior member of Masoud Barzani’s Kurdistan Democratic Party, Abdulsalam Brawri revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Cavusoglu’s trip was aimed at finding alternatives to Iranian oil in wake of Washington’s decision to halt exemptions on its export.

Moreover, he said that Ankara was also seeking to invest in efforts to reconstruct Iraq.

Cavusoglu had arrived in Erbil after holding talks with Iraqi officials in Baghdad.

During the visit he unveiled plans to reopen consulates in Mosul and Basra and to establish new ones in Kirkuk and Najaf.

The minister also announced that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would pay a visit to Iraq before the end of the year.

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Islamabad: 50,000 Pakistanis Are Missing in Iraq

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
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Islamabad: 50,000 Pakistanis Are Missing in Iraq

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)
Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala. (EPA)

Pakistan’s Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Chaudhry Salik Hussain sparked controversy when he revealed that 50,000 Pakistanis have gone missing in Iraq over the years.

He urged the Baghdad government to immediately launch a probe into how the Pakistanis entered Iraq to visit religious sites during the month of Muharram, he was quoted as saying by Pakistan’s Ummat newspaper.

Islamabad is investigating how people have traveled outside Pakistan through illegal means, he remarked.

The permanent committee for religious affairs and interfaith harmony has since proposed new policies for trips to holy sites in foreign countries, including Iraq.

In Iraq, the minister’s comments drew mockery and condemnation on social media and sparked renewed debate over illegal workers in the country.

Politician Mishaan al-Juburi urged the government to make a statement over Hussain’s comments, warning that they may impact security and the labor force.

Hussain’s comments coincided with Iraqi police announcing the arrest of six Pakistanis in Baghdad on charges of theft.

Previously, military intelligence also announced the arrest of a nine-member Pakistani kidnapping and extortion gang in Baghdad. The gang had kidnapped foreigners for ransom.

Meanwhile, Labor Minister Ahmed al-Asadi expressed his concern and condemnation over the increasing number of illegal workers in Iraq.

He said his ministry will investigate the disappearance of the Pakistanis.

He confirmed that several tourists, including Pakistanis, have flocked to Iraq in recent days, and many have taken up employment without the necessary legal permits.

He warned that this phenomenon is negatively impacting the national economy.

The ministry will not be lenient in taking the necessary legal measures against the violators, he vowed.

Iraq welcomes all tourists, whether they are here on a religious visit or otherwise, but they must respect local laws and regulations, declared Asadi.

Every year, millions of Shiites flock to religious sites in Iraq’s Najaf and Karbala.