ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi departed for Ankara on Tuesday morning, his third foreign visit of the month after completing trips to Washington and Tehran, to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discuss expanding economic and security ties as well as hold talks on water issues. 

Zaidi will meet Erdogan and other senior Turkish officials “to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in the areas of economy, water, security, and investment, as well as regional files and issues of mutual interest,” his office said in a statement. 

During the trip, implementation of bilateral agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs) will also be discussed, as well as “developing joinr infrastructure projects,” the statement added.

On Monday, Iraqi government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi said that the water file “will receive special attention” during the trip. 

The visit marks Zaidi’s third foreign trip since taking office, just five days after the premier was in Tehran to sign multiple MoUs aimed at expanding economic, transport, and administrative cooperation between the two countries. 

His visit to Tehran also took place four days after he completed a trip to Washington – his first foreign visit as prime minister – and met with senior US officials, including President Donald Trump, to sign numerous agreements.

Baghdad has long maneuvered a diplomatic tightrope between Tehran and Washington - the two foreign powers with the greatest influence in Iraq - while seeking to maintain balanced relations with both sides.

However, Turkey has also emerged as a vital actor in recent years, with Ankara and Baghdad having significantly expanded their economic, security, and trade ties. 

In an article on Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency published early Tuesday, Zaidi said Baghdad and Ankara “have the capacity to write one of the region's most compelling chapters if they can move beyond traditional cooperation towards genuine integration.” 

“The Iraq from which I travel to the Turkish capital Ankara today is not the Iraq the region knew only a few years ago. It has chosen the path of stability, reform, and development,” the Iraqi prime minister wrote. 

“When we look at the combined potential of our two countries, we see far more than a shared border -- we see the foundations of one of the region's most significant economic partnerships,” he added. 

Despite expanded relations, Baghdad has frequently blamed Ankara for withholding precious water releases downstream through mega dams on the fabled Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which originate in Turkey. 

Turkey has built about 20 dams over four decades, holding roughly 80 billion cubic meters of water, eight times the capacity of Iraq’s Mosul Dam.

In early November, Ankara and Baghdad signed a new MoU aimed at easing Iraq’s water crisis by focusing on desalination projects, water treatment, and the construction of dams to manage cross-border flows.

However, Iraq still faces stark water challenges despite the accord, seeking further assistance from its northern neighbor.