Turkey agrees to gradual handover of Bashiqa military base to Iraq

Turkey has agreed to hand over the Bashiqa military base to Iraq in a phased process, following talks between Iraqi Prime Minister al-Zaidi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the United Nations General Assembly.

The two leaders used the margins of the annual gathering to pledge closer security cooperation, with the future of the base forming a central plank of their discussions. Bashiqa, located in northern Iraq, has long been a point of tension between Baghdad and Ankara.

The agreement signals a potential shift in the bilateral relationship, with both governments apparently seeking to place ties on a more stable diplomatic and security footing.