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Iraqi prime minister visits Turkey

22 October 2010 05:02 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. On the last leg of his Middle East regional tour, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has visited Turkey to discuss political developments in Iraq, APA reports quoting Press TV.

"This is a short but very important visit," AFP quoted al-Maliki as saying upon his arrival in Ankara.

Although no statements were made following talks between al-Maliki and Turkish President Abdullah Gul as well as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, al-Maliki was schedule to discuss regional political issues, including Turkeyâ€™s fight against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and Iraqâ€™s recent March 7 elections.

Reports suggest that the regional tour is an effort by al-Maliki to maintain his seat as prime minister following the controversial elections in March that left al-Malikiâ€™s Shiite-led State of Law bloc finishing second behind the Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, with whom he is vying with to maintain his seat as prime minister.

Al-Maliki had toured Iran, Jordan, Egypt and Syria before visiting Turkey.