Turkish FM Visits Iraq To Discuss Trade, Oil, Water

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu gives a press conference following a meeting of the Russian-Turkish joint strategic planning group in Antalya, March 29, 2019

BAGHDAD (AP) —

Turkey's foreign minister is in Iraq to discuss trade, border security and water resources.

The two-day visit beginning Sunday will include stops in the autonomous Kurdish region and Basra, Iraq's main oil hub.

Turkey is expected to rebalance its oil supplies after the U.S. announced it would end the waivers that have allowed Turkey to import from Iran despite sanctions. Iraq is one of Turkey's leading suppliers of crude oil.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with his Iraqi counterpart, Mohamed Alhakim, in Baghdad on Sunday.

He said Turkey would send a special representative to Iraq to discuss water resources after an exceptionally wet winter filled reservoirs and caused flooding in both countries.

Alhakim said Iraq would facilitate trade with Turkey and called on Turkish firms to invest in Iraq.