Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi meets Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Baghdad on Oct. 17, 2026, to discuss water cooperation, the Development Road project and bilateral security coordination.
Water deal, Development Road and joint security room top Fidan’s Baghdad talks
BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan discussed a comprehensive water agreement, the Development Road project and setting up a joint security operations room in Baghdad on Saturday, Zaidi’s media office said.
Fidan conveyed greetings from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and congratulated Zaidi on completing his cabinet and on Iraq taking up the presidency of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the office said. Zaidi stressed the importance of a comprehensive water agreement with Ankara and of moving ahead with the Development Road, and urged Turkish companies to invest in Iraq, promising government support and administrative help. The two sides also emphasized setting up a joint operations room to handle several security issues, the statement said, without giving its location, membership or remit, and discussed industrial cooperation and trade. Fidan reaffirmed Turkey’s commitment to implementing existing agreements, particularly on the Development Road, which Ankara sees as important for regional trade.
Water has been central to relations between the two countries. In August, government adviser Turhan al-Mufti outlined an arrangement under which Iraq would submit detailed monthly and quarterly data on its agricultural, domestic, industrial and environmental needs, and Turkey would set releases accordingly. The two countries are also implementing a water cooperation framework to modernize Iraq’s irrigation, with Turkish companies rehabilitating canals, upgrading irrigation systems and cutting losses, funded through Iraq’s budget or a joint mechanism. On Oct. 5, the Ministerial Council for the Economy recommended authorizing the Water Resources Ministry to invite qualified Turkish companies directly to carry out the work.
Security cooperation was also a priority when Zaidi met Erdogan in Ankara on July 28, when the two called for closer cooperation against cross-border threats. That visit produced agreements on police training, industrial property and transport links, including the Ovakoy-Fishkhabur route. Iraq and Turkey have also agreed that Turkey will gradually hand over its Bashiqa base north of Mosul, without setting dates.
The Development Road is a multibillion-dollar network of railways and highways meant to link the Grand Faw Port in Basra to Turkey and on to Europe. The Transport Ministry said in July that preliminary designs were complete and work had moved to detailed engineering of bridges, stations and other infrastructure, and railway officials said this month that Baghdad was negotiating an oil-backed financing deal under which Turkish companies would be paid in oil for construction work. Turkish exports to Iraq exceeded $12.3 billion in 2025, and Ankara aims to raise bilateral trade to at least $30 billion, Turkish Ambassador Anil Bora Inan said in May.