Iraq says deal reached over withdrawal of Turkish forces from Bashiqa

Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said on Saturday an agreement had been reached with Turkey over an Iraqi demand that Turkish forces withdraw from a town near Mosul in the north of the country, Iraqi state TV reported.

Abadi met his Turkish counterpart Binali Yildirim in Baghdad. State television did not provide further details about the agreement over the town of Bashiqa, where Turkish forces have been stationed since before a recent offensive against Daesh in northern Iraq.

"We [Turkey] were very pleased with Iraq's recent announcement stating that the PKK would not be able to target Turkey from Iraq. This shows just what we can achieve when we work together," said Yıldırım.

"No matter where terror comes from, it is the same for us. Therefore, Sincar constitutes the greatest threat, and we would like to thank Mr. Prime Minister for showing sensitivity in the elimination of the threat. We are also prepared to cooperate in this regard. We will continue to cooperate not only in Sincar but across all of Iraq to combat the terror groups posing a threat to the national security of our nations," he continued.

Iraqi state TV reported that Turkey had pledged to "respect the sovereignty of Iraq" and that Baghdad and Ankara agreed not to interfere in each other's domestic affairs.

Iraq and Turkey came to blows in October over the continued presence of Turkish forces in Bashiqa and elsewhere in northern Iraq, with each government summoning the other's ambassador just as the U.S.-backed campaign to drive Daesh out of Mosul was set to begin.

Regional stability and security are on the top of the agenda during the Turkish visit; especially steps to strengthen bilateral cooperation to counter terrorist groups PKK, Daesh and FETO.