Erdogan's move at the UN General Assembly: the strategic base changes hands

Turkish President Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi agreed in New York on a gradual transfer of control over the Bashiqa-Zilkan camp in northern Iraq to Baghdad, after years of Turkish military presence in the area. The understandings also include strengthening Iraqi control over Sinjar and ending the presence of foreign armed groups.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi agreed in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, on a gradual transfer of control over the Bashiqa-Zilkan camp in northern Iraq to Baghdad, according to a report by the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA). The Bashiqa-Zilkan camp, near Mosul, has been a major point of contention between Ankara and Baghdad since 2015, when a Turkish military presence began there. The understandings, also reported by the Turkish Presidency's Directorate of Communications and the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah, include strengthening Iraqi control over the Sinjar area and ending the presence of foreign armed groups designated as banned. According to an additional report by Al-Arabiya network, Erdogan and al-Zaidi also discussed expanding trade and investments and accelerating the "Development Path" project—an infrastructure corridor connecting Iraq to Turkey and from there to European markets. No exact date for the implementation of the move has been announced at this stage.