Turkey has lost a major construction bid in Mosul to the French, the latest curveball France has thrown Turkey in the two countries’ struggle for influence in the Middle East and North Africa region. 

Iraq has come to a preliminary agreement with a French company for the renovation of Mosul International Airport, a project Turkey has been eagerly eyeing since 2019 as part of its ambitious plans to be heavily involved in the reconstruction of Iraq following the 2014 Islamic State takeover. The central Iraqi government authorized the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority to negotiate and sign a deal for the reconstruction of the airport with France’s Aeroports de Paris Ingenierie on Dec. 27.

The announcement of the bad news for Turkey came from the Turkish ambassador to Baghdad, who had been lobbying on behalf of the Turkish companies. “Turkish contractors made attractive offers to renovate and operate the Mosul Airport through direct investment,” Fatih Yildiz wrote on Twitter on Jan. 8. “Apparently, someone else will do this project.”

The timing of the Iraqi government’s decision was telling as it came only days after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s Dec. 17 visit to Ankara during which the Iraqi premier emphasized bilateral cooperation between the two neighbors. Sources told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Kadhimi has given no guarantees on the airport matter in his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.