Energy exports and Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants based in Iraq will be at the top of the agenda when Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visits the country on Tuesday, experts and officials have told The National.
Mr Fidan is set to begin talks with top-ranking officials in Baghdad on Wednesday, when he meets his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Al Sahaf said.
“The visit comes in the context of strengthening bilateral relations between Baghdad and Ankara and discussing the most important files and outstanding issues,” Dr Al Sahaf told The National.
The Turkish minister will then travel to Erbil on Thursday, where he will meet President of Iraqi Kurdistan Nechervan Barzani and regional prime minister Masrour Barzani.
“The two sides will assess the dynamics in a region with a rapidly changing political atmosphere. Trade, security and economic issues, such as the PKK and the border between the Kurdistan region and Turkey, will be at the top of the agenda,” a Kurdish official from Mr Barzani's office told The National.
“The two are neighbours that need to have strong and reliable relations to ensure stability in the region,” Sinan Ulgen, a former Turkish diplomat and director of the Istanbul-based Edam think tank, told The National.
“This has proven somewhat difficult to achieve after the negative consequences of the US intervention, which has led to political instability in Iraq,” Mr Ulgen added.
What does Turkey want from Iraq?
Mr Fidan's visit is very likely to be aimed at resolving outstanding issues between the two countries, Galip Dalay, a Chatham House expert on Turkey, told The National.
“The sides will be in a mood to resolving their differences, rather than continuing with their disputes,” he said, adding that the aim is now to “find a solution to the disputes over the energy exports through oil”.
The PKK has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, initially seeking an independent Kurdish state before changing its demands and seeking an autonomous Kurdish region within Turkey. The conflict has killed about 40,000 people, many of them civilians.
The group has training camps and bases in autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan and is designated a terrorist group by the US and EU.
“In recent times the PKK has increased its presence in northern Iraq, creating more disturbances for the Kurdistan Democratic Party, the main dominant party in Iraqi Kurdistan, and in return Turkey is putting more pressure on the PKK,” Mr Galip said.
Ankara wants a stronger commitment from Baghdad to curtail the activities and influence of the PKK in the northern part of Iraq, Mr Ulgen said.
The presence of PKK fighters in the region has created complex issues for the Kurdistan regional government, as its operations impact trade relations with Ankara.
Dispute over oil
In March, Turkey halted Iraq's 450,000 barrel per day oil exports via the northern Iraq-Turkey pipeline after an arbitration ruling by the International Chamber of Commerce.
Iraq filed for arbitration with the ICC in 2014 over Turkey's role in facilitating oil exports from Iraqi Kurdistan without the consent of the federal government in Baghdad.
Iraq's government says its state-owned marketed SOMO is the only party authorised to manage crude exports through Ceyhan oil terminal.
For months, oil firms in the region have been left in limbo as the pipeline stoppage is set to continue until Ankara, Baghdad and the Kurdistan regional government resolve the dispute.
Ankara aims to reach a settlement with Baghdad on the transport of oil from Kurdistan where there is still an arbitration procedure, Mr Ulgen said.
Ankara also wants to “see a lasting agreement between the Kurdistan regional government and the government in Baghdad on revenue-sharing for hydrocarbon resources so that Turkey can reliably plan its future supply from Kurdistan,” he added.
Development Road project
During talks, Mr Fidan will also focus on an ambitious transport project aimed to connect Asia to Europe and enhance regional co-operation and economic opportunities.
The project, known as the Development Road, is expected to run from southern Iraq to the Turkish border.
The project involves the construction of 1,200 kilometres of rail networks and new motorways that expand outward from the under-construction Al Faw Port on the Arabian Gulf in Basra province.
The network will then be connected to road and rail networks in Europe through Turkey.
The project is expected to cost up to $17 billion, generate $4 billion annually and create at least 100,000 jobs for all states involved.
Result
Qualifier: Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Lahore: Eliminator 1 - Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators
Wednesday, Lahore: Eliminator 2 – Karachi Kings v Winner of Eliminator 1
Sunday, Karachi: Final – Islamabad United v Winner of Eliminator 2
Race card
1.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
2pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 84,000 (D) 1,400m
2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,200m
3pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1.950m
3.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,800m
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 68,000 (D) 1,000m
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
More on animal trafficking
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
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SCHEDULE
Saturday, April 20: 11am to 7pm - Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Festival and Para jiu-jitsu.
Sunday, April 21: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (female) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Monday, April 22: 11am to 6pm - Abu Dhabi World Youth (male) Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Tuesday, April 23: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Masters Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Wednesday, April 24: 11am-6pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Thursday, April 25: 11am-5pm Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Friday, April 26: 3pm to 6pm Finals of the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
Saturday, April 27: 4pm and 8pm awards ceremony.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
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RESULT
Bayern Munich 3 Chelsea 2
Bayern: Rafinha (6'), Muller (12', 27')
Chelsea: Alonso (45' 3), Batshuayi (85')
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
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