Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday called for solidarity of the Middle Eastern countries to ensure peace in the region during talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani in Istanbul, the office of the Turkish leader said.
"President Erdogan noted that the expanding Israeli aggression in our region is a threat to both regional and world peace, that the international community, the countries in the region in particular, should act in solidarity to prevent this from happening and ensure peace and calm, and that Turkey will maintain its efforts for peace," the Turkish Directorate of Communications said in a statement.
Erdogan and Sudani also discussed bilateral and other regional and global issues, the directorate said.
The Turkish president described Turkey and Iraq as "neighboring countries with deep-rooted historical and cultural ties" and called for developing relations, particularly through the Development Road Project, it added.
Erdogan also welcomed the steps taken by Baghdad to fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) activities on its soil, the directorate said. The PKK is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey.