Erbil

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan landed Monday at Baghdad's international airport, local media reported, at the start of his first state visit to the neighboring country in 13 years.

The Turkish defense minister and the chief of general staff have left for Baghdad for an official visit to hold talks with their Iraqi counterparts over security concerns after PKK attacked the Turkish troops in northern Iraq.

In a shocking turn of events, a series of explosions rattled the vicinity of the US Consulate in Erbil, Iraq, leaving a trail of destruction and claiming four lives, as reported by ABC News, citing Iraqi security sources.

Both the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan regional government in Erbil are committed to clearing Iraq of the PKK terror, the Turkish foreign minister has said, pledging Ankara's continued support in their fight against terrorism.

Türkiye's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is scheduled to embark on a diplomatic mission this week, heading to Baghdad and Erbil, as reported by the Iraqi media.

Thirteen truck drivers that had been trapped at the Iraqi-Turkish borders when these were closed in response to the coronavirus outbreak will return to Greece on Friday with on a charter flight leased by the Greek Infrastructure and Transport Ministry, it was announced Friday.

The flight will be carried out despite a ban in Iraq due to the coronavirus.

An Iraqi court has sentenced two suspects to death for the killing of a Turkish diplomat and two Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) citizens in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil.

The 2nd Criminal Court in Erbil sentenced two people to death over the killing of diplomat Osman Köse and two KRG citizens and handed down jail time for four more suspects in connection with the killings.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said the attacks on the bases were "revenge for the killing of top Iranian General, the Quds Unit Commander Qasem Soleimani."

The USA's new ambassador to Bulgaria, Herro Mustafa, and her family have arrived in Bulgaria.

Earlier today, the diplomat was sworn in at a special ceremony at the Washington State Department.

The Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) is preparing a business mission to Iraq, from September 7 to 9.
The delegation, which will include companies from all sectors, will visit Baghdad and Erbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The mission is sponsored by Greece's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Arab-Hellenic Chamber of Commerce and Development.