Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Sunday Baghdad was ready to coordinate with regional countries, especially Türkiye, to ensure the stability of Syria, Lebanon and Gaza.
Sudani received in Baghdad Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan for talks on regional and international developments and bilateral relations, said the PM's office in a statement.
They underscored the importance of parties committing to the ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.
Sudani reiterated Iraq's position that it refuses Syria to become an arena for conflicts, stressing that its stability will positively impact the region.
Fidan also held talks with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein on ISIS' threat to Iraq, Syria and Türkiye in wake of the toppling of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Damascus.
They also discussed economic and security issues, including Iraq's Development Road Project.
During a press conference, Hussein described ties between Iraq and Türkiye as good and that he had discussed with Fidan means to develop them in wake of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Baghdad in April last year.
He said the neighbors have vast opportunities for joint work.
Moreover, the FM added that their meeting tackled developments in Syria, saying that communication is ongoing with the new administration in Damascus.
Fight against ISIS, PKK
Talks also focused on ISIS' threat to the border, he stressed, revealing that several meetings will be held between Iraq and Türkiye to discuss counter-terrorism efforts.
For his part, Fidan described relations between Ankara and Baghdad as "strategic", stating that a stable Iraq will reflect positively on Türkiye.
On the Development Road Project, he said efforts are underway to implement it.
He underlined the importance of security coordination between their countries, especially in combating ISIS and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
A joint battle using "all our resources" must be carried out to eliminate both ISIS and Kurdish militants in the region, Fidan stressed.
Fidan's visit took place amid repeated calls from Türkiye for the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) group in northeast Syria to disband following Assad's fall last month, with Ankara warning it could mount a new cross-border operation against the group unless its concerns are addressed.
The YPG spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Türkiye considers them terrorists that are an extension of the outlawed PKK, against which Ankara carries out regular cross-border military operations in northern Iraq's mountainous regions.
Ankara and the West deem the PKK a terrorist organization.
Before the fall of Assad, the SDF was the United States' main local partner in the fight against ISIS in Syria.
Fidan said he had reiterated Türkiye's expectation for Iraq to formally label the PKK a terrorist organization, after Baghdad recognized it as a "banned organization" last year.
"I want to emphasize this fact in the strongest terms: the PKK is targeting Türkiye, Iraq and Syria. For the future of our region and the prosperity of our people, we must mount a joint fight against terror," he said.
"We must destroy ISIS and the PKK with all our resources," Fidan urged, saying he had discussed possible cooperation mechanisms on intelligence and operational matters, as well as the involvement of regional countries, against ISIS during his visit.
Ties between the neighbors have been rocky in recent years due to Ankara's cross-border operations. However, relations have improved with Iraq calling the PKK a banned organization and the start of high-level security talks.
On Sunday, Türkiye's defense ministry said Turkish forces had killed 13 PKK fighters in northern Iraq.
Since Assad's toppling by an administration friendly towards Ankara, Syria's Kurdish factions have been on the back foot, and negotiators from the Syrian leadership, United States, Türkiye and the SDF have been zeroing in on a potential deal on the group's fate.
Hussein said on Thursday that Türkiye attacking Kurdish forces in Syria's north would be dangerous and create more refugees.
