Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has urged Iraq’s prime minister-designate to form a government which reflects the country’s religious and ethnic diversity.
In a weekend phone call, Erdoğan congratulated Ali al-Zaidi on his appointment, expressing hope he would swiftly form an “inclusive, balanced, and stable” administration.
Last week, a coalition of Iraqi Shia political blocs nominated al-Zaidi to replace outgoing Prime Minister Mohamed Shia' al-Sudani.
Under Iraq’s constitution, al-Zaidi has 30 days from his appointment to assemble a cabinet and present it to parliament for approval.
During the call, Erdoğan also stressed that Iraq’s sizeable Türkmen community represents a key component of the two countries’ fraternal relations.
Iraqi Türkmen, who are ethnically Turkic and speak a dialect of Turkish, are concentrated largely in the country’s north.
Although no official census exists, Türkmen are generally believed to make up between 7% and 13% of Iraq’s population, making them the country’s third-largest ethnic group.
Al-Zaidi, a relative newcomer to Iraqi politics, is a successful businessman who holds degrees in law, finance and banking.
Speaking shortly after his appointment, he pledged to form a government “that responds to citizens’ demands for security, stability, and comprehensive development.”
Last month, Türkiye welcomed the election of Mehmet Seman Ağaoğlu, a prominent local Türkmen politician, as governor of Iraq’s oil-rich northern Kirkuk province.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry described Ağaoğlu’s election - he also heads the Iraqi Türkmen Front - as a “historic development in terms of inclusivity and fair representation”.
It added that his appointment was a “long-overdue acknowledgement of a legitimate right for our Türkmen kinsmen, who are an integral component of Iraq and Kirkuk.”
Georgia is enjoying one of its biggest and highest-quality grape harvests since independence. By 6 October, growers in the country's main wine-...
Ukrainian drone strikes have hit two Yandex data centres in Russia on consecutive days, disrupting digital services as Kyiv intensifies attacks on ...
The U.S. has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday (9 October) escalating ...
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took the decision at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Awaza, Turkmenistan on Friday, media reported.
Azerbaijan and the five Central Asian states have signed two key documents at the 8th Consultative Meeting of Heads of State in Turkmenbashi, formalising a broader framework for regional cooperation in transport, trade, energy, digitalisation and security.
It started with classrooms. Too many students, not enough teachers, deteriorating buildings and growing anxiety over what comes after high school. But within weeks, a movement that began outside French lycées had spread across the country.
Britain and Israel have reached a temporary compromise over the future of the British Consulate General in East Jerusalem, easing a diplomatic dispute that had threatened to further strain relations between the two countries.
The Nobel Peace Prize 2026 will be announced on Friday, 9 October, bringing one of the world's most closely watched awards back into focus.
Georgia is enjoying one of its biggest and highest-quality grape harvests since independence. By 6 October, growers in the country's main wine-producing region, Kakheti, had delivered 182,210 tonnes of grapes, with 99 per cent rated medium or high quality, despite recent protests over prices.
Uzbekistan has unveiled plans to deepen economic ties with Central Asia and Azerbaijan, proposing shared artificial intelligence infrastructure, a critical minerals alliance and a regional trade strategy extending to 2035.
Leaders of countries from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have agreed to hold coordinated population censuses around 2030. They took the decision at the CIS Council of Heads of State meeting in Awaza, Turkmenistan on Friday, media reported.
Saudi Arabia has restored its vital East-West oil pipeline to near-full capacity, but escalating Houthi attacks on energy facilities, airports and transport infrastructure are raising fresh concerns over the security of its oil exports.
Here's your AnewZ Daily Brief for 9 October 2026 with five key developments from the CIS summit in Turkmenistan.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment