Visiting Iraqi Defence Minister Abd al-Qadir Muhammad al-Ubaydi called Friday for NATO member Turkey's assistance in soldiers training.
Speaking to reporters prior to his meeting with his Turkish counterpart Vecdi Gonul, al-Ubaydi said that "military training in Turkey is excellent. Thus, we want to send Iraqi soldiers to Turkey for their training."
He said that "I am in Turkey to further develop relations between our two countries. We are aware about Turkey's concerns arising from the north of Iraq and Iraq in general. The Iraqi government will do all it can to eradicate matters of serious concern of Turkish authorities."
For his part, Gonul said that Turkey and Iraq are neighbors with deep historical and cultural ties.
"I am confident that Iraq will reach bright days with its richness in culture, intellectualism and natural resources. Turkey and Iraq have excellent relations," he said.
The Turkish official indicated that Baghdad has taken some steps against Turkey's outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) based in the north of Iraq and will continue to work on the issue.
"We will inform al-Ubaydi about Turkey's expectations and the steps that must be taken by the Iraqi government against PKK," he added.
The PKK, which was listed as a terrorist organization by Ankara as well as the United States and the European Union, launched an armed campaign for an ethnic homeland in the mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking a strife that has claimed more than 30,000 lives since then.
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Director: Liu Chi