Armenian, Assyrian and Hellenic Genocide News

Ankara takes another step each day in relations with Iraq
by Turkish Daily News
Posted: Tuesday, October 17, 2000 09:09 pm CST

Ankara continues to improve its relations with Iraq, and the US administration says the usage of the pipeline does not violate the UN embargo

Ankara - Turkish Daily News

Despite U.S. opposition, Ankara is continuing its efforts to improve relations with Baghdad, especially following the progress of the U.S. House resolution recognizing the so-called Armenian genocide. Iraqi Ambassador to Ankara Farouk Yahya Al-Hicazi on Friday visited the Ankara Chamber of Commerce and asked for acceleration in the process of re-establishing the Turkish-Iraqi Business Council.

Ambassador Al-Hicazi, referring to recent Turkish-American relations, said on Friday that Turkish-Iraqi relations were not dependent on deterioration of relations between Turkey and other countries.

Speaking to reporters prior to the ambassador's visit ,chairman of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, Sinan Aygun, said Turkish-Iraqi relations had not just been improving in recent days but in the last few months.

Aygun also said Turkish businessmen wanted to increase trade volume with Iraq within the scope of United Nations -- therefore he met with the Iraqi ambassador.

"We want to be relieved of unfair U.N. sanctions against Iraq. The first victim of the Gulf War was Iraq, and the second Turkey. We have suffered a great economic loss for 10 years," Aygun said.

As part of these efforts, Turkey previously decided to upgrade the status of its diplomatic mission in Baghdad and also allowed medical aid flights and agreed to resume rail links between Iraq and Turkey.

In addition to these developments, Ankara has started preparations to open fully the Kerkuk-Yumurtalik oil pipeline between Iraq and Turkey and announced on Tuesday that it was considering opening a second border crossing with Iraq to facilitate trade between the two countries. A Turkish delegation from Botas (the state-owned Turkish Pipeline Company) has been in Iraq to discuss issues regarding preparations for the full opening of the pipeline.

Meanwhile the United States said the usage of the pipeline does not violate the U.N. embargo.

Turkish trade with Iraq, its fourth-largest trade partner before the Gulf War, has dropped sharply from some $2.5 billion annually in the early 1990s and is governed by a U.N. deal that allows Baghdad to buy food and medicine with the proceeds of oil sales.

Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB) Chairman Fuad Miras said last Wednesday that the group had completed the work for its part on the reestablishment of the Turkish-Iraqi Business Council.

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