Iraq

Romania remains firmly committed to the promise of allotting 2 pct of the Gross Domestic Product for Defence, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila stated on Thursday, at the exhibition "We stand together: Romania and the United States - 15 years in NATO" event organized by the US Embassy in Bucharest. "Romania remains firmly committed to the promise of allotting 2 pct of the GDP for Defence.

He attended a meeting of the NATO Military Committee, held in Ljubljana last week, while the topics for discussion were focused on Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo.

Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has conveyed Turkey's intention to establish patrol bases with the United States in northeastern Syria in a bid to efficiently conduct ground patrol missions in the safe zone in the same way the Turkish Armed Forces has done in the fight against the PKK in northern Iraq.

Recent attacks on Saudi oil facilities, Iran is suspected of performing, further deepened hostilities between the two countries.
The 10-year long conflict between Riyadh and Tehran and Iran is further burdened by religious differences - Iran is dominated by Shiite Muslims, while Saudis see themselves as the leading Sunni Muslim power, the BBC reports.

A new phase in Turkey's counter-terrorism operation in northern Iraq has begun, with new commando forces sent to the region, Turkey's Defense Ministry announced on Sept. 18.

Bolton said Washington would not oppose an exchange of territory provided that Belgrade and Pristina worked out a "mutually satisfactory settlement".

Turkish security units operating in northern Iraq seized explosive devices and other materials used by the PKK terrorists, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abd Al-Mahdi on Sept. 11 met Turkey's Ambassador to Baghdad Fatih Yıldiz to discuss bilateral relations, according to an Iraqi official statement.       

After two meetings in Athens with a US agent who was posing as a weapons dealer, Rami Ghanem returned to the Greek capital in December 2015 to check on his order: 200 American-built automatic weapons, night vision scopes and thermal imaging cameras, among other items.

A representative of the diplomatic mission of Romania in Kabul has died, and another was seriously injured following the terrorist attack that occurred Monday night, in Kabul, Afghanistan, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) informs.