Senior Officials To Visit Iraq For Security, Energy Talks 14 March

Senior government ministers and officials are set to visit the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Thursday 14 Marchfor talks set to focus on defence and security as well as cooperation in the energy field. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakah Fidan, Defence Minister Yaşar Güler and National Intelligence Organization (MIT) head Ibrahim Kalın are all due to make the trip.

• On the security front, relations between Ankara and Baghdad remain strained. Turkey has launched an increasing number of operations in recent years against Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants, arguing these are essential to ensuring Turkey's security. Iraq has pushed back accusing Ankara of violating Iraqi sovereignty.
• Reuters reports: "The two are also at odds over the resumption of oil exports from a crude oil pipeline running from Iraq through Turkey that Ankara says is ready to operate but Baghdad has yet to resume its operations."
• Last week, producers in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq claimed that there had been no progress on a deal to resumt flows.
• The prospect of a major summer offensive against the PKK, mooted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier in March, could further limit the prospect of a resumption in oil flows.