Prime Minister Binali Yildirim’s visit to Iraq last week set a new tone in the ties between the two countries, which have been highly tense in recent months. Following his talks with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Baghdad, Yildirim met with Iraqi Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani in Erbil. His contacts in Erbil reflected a desire to maintain a balance between the central Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to the benefit of the three parties.

Prior to traveling to Baghdad, Yildirim underscored that this visit was part of his policy of “increasing the number of Turkey’s friends and reducing the number of its enemies.” He pointed to the recently improved ties with Israel and Russia as examples of Ankara’s new approach.

Analysts underline the fact that deteriorating ties with Baghdad were also undermining Turkey’s vast economic cooperation with Iraq at a time when the Turkish economy shows signs of wavering.

Despite its efforts to come out of its regional isolation with a new approach to foreign policy, Turkey’s ties with Iraq remained tense during most of 2016, even to the point where talk of war entered the conversation.