Turkey supports Iraq's efforts for democracy: parliament speaker

Turkish Parliament Speaker Mehmet Ali Sahin stated Monday Turkey attaches great importance to Iraq's efforts for democracy, noting that Turkish parliament is ready to extend all kinds of support to Iraqi parliament.

Iraq's efforts for democracy will likely be model for other countries inside the region which were undergoing transformation, Sahin said prior to meeting visiting Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi.

"Turkey has supported Iraq's independency, political and territorial integrity in the past and will continue to do that in the future. Iraq's security and stability are extremely essential to us, " stated Sahin.

Noting that Turkish-Iraqi ties have developed in a lot of areas, he said the two countries' trade volume surged from 940 million U.S. dollars in 2003 to 7.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2010.

Al-Nujaifi stated they appreciate Turkey's assistance to Iraq when his country was striving for democracy and want to further enhance bilateral relations.

Turkey can assume an crucial role while the region is in an unstable period, he stated.

Al-Nujaifi, who is in a pay a visit to to Turkey, held a closed-door meeting with Turkish President Abdullah Gul on Saturday.

Posted in: Turkey supports Iraq's efforts for democracy: parliament speaker