Ankara, July 15: Turkey and the United States said today they had agreed on measures to improve cooperation in Kurdish-held northern Iraq in order to "restore confidence" following a diplomatic spat over the arrest by US troops of 11Turkish soldiers in the region. "Both sides regret the incident which occurred between two allies and the treatment to which the Turkish soldiers were subjected while in custody," senior Turkish and US military officials said in a joint statement after talks aimed at resolving the dispute.
"Turkey and the United States have decided to ensure better cooperation and coordination in Iraq and have agreed to take all measures required to prevent the repetition of such incidents in the future.
"Both sides have agreed to expeditiously share information on security and stability in the region before taking any action," it said.
The statement followed bilateral talks on the circumstances surrounding the arrests of 11 Turkish soldiers in Sulaymaniyah on July 4 and their 60-hour detention, an incident that underscored increasing differences between the two countries over northern Iraq.
Washington has said the arrest was justified because of "reports of disturbing activities" by the Turkish soldiers, a claim vehemently denied by Ankara.
Today's statement did not shed any light on the reasons behind the arrest, saying only that both sides had "noted" concerns over each other's activities in northern Iraq. Bureau Report