Turkey, Syria to hold joint cabinet meeting next month

During Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's official visit to Damascus next month, the Turkish and Syrian governments are set to hold a joint cabinet meeting, similar to one held with Iraq last month when Erdogan visited Baghdad. Preparations for the meeting, which will be chaired by Erdogan and his Syrian counterpart Naji al-Otri, have been completed. During the meeting, discussions are expected to focus on ways to improve bilateral trade ties and better cooperate against terrorism. Work is also underway for a similar meeting with the Russian Cabinet. In line with developing ties between the two countries in recent years, Russia has become Turkey's biggest trading partner, with a bilateral trade volume of $38 billion. In related news, Erdogan yesterday met with Syrian Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Abrash, who also held talks with his Turkish counterpart Mehmet Ali Sahin. In other news, Erdogan also received Ammar al-Hakim, the head of Iraq's Supreme Islamic Council, the country's most influential Shiite group. Speaking at a conference in Ankara held by the Turkish Economy Policy Research Foundation (TEPAV), al-Hakim characterized Kirkuk, Iraq's biggest oil-producing city, as a prototype of Iraq, pledging that they would continue working to forge compromises among its various ethnic and sectarian groups.