Erdogan sends Iraqi PM official invitation to visit Turkey

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Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani has received an invitation from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to visit Turkey.

A statement issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Prime Minister Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani received on Thursday the Turkish Ambassador to Iraq, Mr. Ali Riza Guney.

"The ambassador handed the prime minister a written letter that included an official invitation from Erdogan to visit Turkey, and Al-Sudani promised to accept it as soon as possible," the statement said.

In the meeting, the officials discussed bilateral economic relations and means of boosting them, as well as the dry canal project, and the formation of a joint committee to coordinate the stages of the project, according to the ministry.

The two sides also discussed "procedures to facilitate the granting of entry visas to Turkish investors and technicians working in Iraq."

In the letter, Erdogan expressed his desire to resume meetings of the Iraqi-Turkish Strategic Cooperation Council.

It is worth noting that this year has seen a lot of political and military tensions between the two countries.

In April, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned Guney and handed him a "strongly worded" protest letter against the backdrop of the continuous breaches and violations of the Turkish army in northern Iraq. This came after Turkey launched an air and ground military operation in northern Iraq against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The attack is part of an ongoing Turkish campaign in Iraq and Syria against the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) and the PKK, which Ankara considers a "terrorist group".