Davutoglu: "Stability or instability in Iraq affects the region"

Stability or instability in Iraq affects the rest of the region, said Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu over the weekend. Speaking to reporters before a dinner in Ankara in honor of visiting Iraqi Supreme Islamic Council Chairman Seyyid Ammar Abdulaziz Muhsin al-Hakim, Davutoglu said Turkey wants Iraq to take on a more stable structure in the wake of its elections this March, which have yet to produce a government seven months later. "On establishing a government, the final decision certainly depends on our Iraqi cousins," he said. "The task falling to all neighbors is to help our Iraqi cousins. We hope a government representing all sides will be established in the coming days." Saying that the future of Iraq is the future of the region, he added, "Both (Iraq's) stability and instability spread to the region." For his part, al-Hakim said, "We appreciate the constructive role that Turkey plays both in the Arab and Muslim worlds." He added, "A country like Iraq made up of so many groups cannot be governed by just one. We hope that the consultations of neighboring countries will continue in this way. There is no doubt that these consultations will have positive effects on deepening our relations."