Preliminary agreement to host Syria-Turkey meeting reached: Iraqi FM

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + Al Mayadeen
13 Jul 2024 01:08
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Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein says the date of the meeting will be determined after his return to Baghdad from Washington.

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Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein addresses journalists during a news conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baghdad, Iraq, February 6, 2024. (AP)

A preliminary agreement has been reached with Syria and Turkey to hold a meeting between the two countries' officials in Baghdad, Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein revealed on Friday.

"There is communication at the level of the Iraqi leadership with the Syrian and Turkish sides, and the date will be determined after returning to Baghdad," Hussein said in a statement he made from Washington.

Earlier on Friday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he had instructed Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "to start restoring relations between the two countries," adding that "Fidan is authorized to organize a meeting with President Assad in a third country."

Erdogan said that he invited al-Assad two weeks ago to hold a meeting either in Turkey or in a third country to start a new process and overcome the tension in relations between the two countries.

This comes after Erdogan hinted on Sunday that Turkey would invite al-Assad "at any moment" for possible talks to restore relations between the two neighbors.

Al-Assad had previously expressed his openness to all initiatives related to the relationship between Syria and Turkey that are based on the sovereignty of the Syrian state over all its territories and the fight against terrorism and its organizations.

Syria emphasizes that the prerequisite for any Syrian-Turkish dialogue is Ankara's announcement of its readiness to withdraw from the Syrian territories it occupies.

Iranian funds frozen in Iraq

In a separate context, Hussein on Friday held a meeting with the US Acting Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, John Bass, in Washington, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement.

Hussein and Bass discussed several "important bilateral and regional issues," the statement indicated, including the file of frozen Iranian funds in Iraq.

The Iraqi top diplomat stressed "the importance of strengthening US-Iraqi relations in various fields."

Touching on the frozen Iranian funds, Hussein underscored "the need to find a quick and fair solution that serves the interests of both parties and enhances financial stability in the region."

Moreover, the Iraqi foreign minister emphasized the importance of supporting the financial and banking sector in Iraq, with a focus on the challenges related to the use of the US dollar in financial transactions.

In response to a question from Al Mayadeen, Hussein pointed out that meetings with the US side are ongoing in this regard, and that Washington's assessments of the reforms undertaken by the Central Bank of Iraq are positive.