During Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's historic visit to Baghdad on Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani emphasized Iraq's commitment to protecting its territorial integrity. Al Sudani's remarks were a clear reference to Turkey's periodic attacks on suspected Kurdish militant hideouts in northern and northwestern Iraq.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Erdogan, Al Sudani stated that Iraq would not allow its territory to be used for attacks on other countries. His comments echoed those made earlier by Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, who also emphasized the need for respecting Iraq's sovereignty and security.

Erdogan's visit, the first by a Turkish president since 2011, comes amid longstanding tensions between the central Iraqi government and Ankara over Turkey's handling of the Kurdish militancy issue and its oil dealings with the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq.

During their meeting, Al Sudani and Erdogan discussed various issues, including security and key economic and trade matters. They addressed the construction of a $17-billion road project spanning from southern to northern Iraq and issues related to Iraq's share of water from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which originate in Turkey.

In the press conference, Erdogan expressed Turkey's determination to strengthen relations with Iraq while ensuring the rights of Iraq as a neighboring country are respected. Both leaders also condemned Israel's ongoing attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.