Türkiye and Iraq have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate the voluntary return of Iraqi citizens, as both nations seek to address migration issues following decades of instability.
According to the Turkish Interior Ministry, its Minister, Ali Yerlikaya, and Iraq’s Minister of Migration and Displacement, Evan Faiq Jabro, signed the Memorandum of Understanding in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Wednesday, with the aim to bolster cooperation between the two neighbours in managing migration more sustainably and securely.In a statement by the Interior Ministry, it said that the MoU “aims for a more sustainable and secure approach to migration management”, and that, as part of the agreement, “cooperation will be undertaken to prevent irregular and illegal migration effectively”.
On X, Minister Yerlikaya further added that “within the scope of the memorandum, cooperation will be undertaken to combat irregular migration”.
The Memorandum will reportedly allow Iraqi nationals residing in Turkiye to voluntarily return to their home country in the near future. The history of Iraqi migration to Turkiye in contemporary times stretches back to the 1980s amid the instability and crackdowns Iraq witnessed under Saddam Hussein’s regime, and the latest such instability took place with the spread of the terror group, Daesh, throughout Syria and Iraq back in 2014, leading many Iraqis and Syrians alike to view Turkiye as a safe destination.
As the dust continues to settle over those conflicts – at least for now – Ankara and Baghdad are increasingly seeking ways to bolster the return of Iraqis to their home country, and they insist on doing so voluntarily, at least on paper.
