Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi discussed regional developments, with a particular focus on Iran, Syria, and Palestine, during talks in Ankara.

Axar.az reports, citing Anadolu Agency, that Erdogan made the remarks during a joint news conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the Presidential Complex in Ankara after bilateral and delegation-level meetings and the signing of agreements in several fields.

"We are striving to ensure that our region is known not for war, terrorism and conflict, but for development, prosperity, peace and stability," he said.

He also said Turkiye was ready to provide Iraq with the defense industry products it needs.

Erdogan emphasized the current regional security environment has made cooperation in energy and transportation even more critical, adding that the Development Road Project has become more important than ever.

"We see that the Development Road Project, which is based on connecting the Gulf region to the world through Iraq, has become more important than ever in light of current developments," he said, adding that he was pleased to see al-Zaidi's strong commitment to the initiative.

Erdogan added that Ankara wants to increase bilateral trade, which approached $17 billion last year, to much higher levels and welcomed meetings between Iraqi ministers, Turkish business representatives, contractors and investors during the visit.