Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Malikiwill arrive in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Wednesday to talk with Turkish leaders on means to fight the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) based in northern Iraq.
Maliki, accompanied by six ministers during his visit, is expected to meet Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan.
On Tuesday, Erdogan said he and Maliki would discuss all the developments regarding the fight against the PKK, according to Cihan news agency based in the largest Turkish city of Istanbul.
"Our desire is to save our country from the PKK terrorist organization as soon as possible. In that case, Iraq will also have to save his country from terrorism," Erdogan was quoted as saying.
Turkey and Iraq have established a Strategic Cooperation High Council to promote bilateral relations and deal with the PKK militants who use north Iraq as a spring board to launch attacks on Turkey.
The Turkish forces take tougher actions against the PKK after the country's legislature extended on Oct. 8 the government's mandate to launch cross-border operations against the rebels in northern Iraq.
Turkish warplanes have since last year bombed PKK hideouts in northern Iraq.
The PKK took up arms in 1984 to create an ethnic homeland in southeastern Turkey. Some 40,000 people have been killed in the over-two-decade conflict.
Source: Xinhua
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