President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held a call on May 2 with Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi, congratulating him on his nomination and expressing confidence that he will swiftly form an inclusive, balanced and stable government.
Erdoğan said Türkiye has given significant momentum to its close cooperation with Iraq on a strategic and institutional basis, adding that Ankara aims to further advance ties in the new period, according to a readout from Türkiye's Communications Directorate.
He underlined that Turkmens constitute a special element of the brotherhood between Türkiye and Iraq.
Erdoğan said Türkiye is determined to deepen cooperation across key areas, including the Development Road project, counterterrorism, the defense industry, energy and transportation.
On April 30, U.S. President Donald Trump called al-Zaidi and extended an invitation for him to visit Washington once he has successfully formed a government, the Iraqi prime minister’s office said in a statement.
Trump then posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, congratulating al-Zaidi and wishing him “success as he works to form a new Government free from terrorism that could deliver a brighter future for Iraq.”
“We look forward to a strong, vibrant, and highly productive new relationship between Iraq and the United States,” the post said. “This is the beginning of a tremendous new chapter between our Nations — Prosperity, Stability and Success like never seen before.”
The call and post signal that Washington has given its blessing to al-Zaidi, a businessman and political newcomer, after Trump had announced his disapproval of a previous leading candidate for the post.
Iraq’s dominant parliamentary bloc, the Coordination Framework — a coalition of Shiite parties allied with Iran — on April 27 nominated al-Zaidi to be the country’s prime minister after weeks of internal debate among its member parties.
The coalition had previously said it would back former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who the U.S. administration views as too close to Iran. Trump publicly announced his opposition to al-Maliki and threatened to cut off aid to Iraq if he was appointed.
While al-Maliki remained defiant after Trump’s intervention, the bloc decided to shift to a compromise candidate.
Al-Zaidi, who is chairman of Al-Janoob Islamic Bank, emerged in the final stages of discussions as one of the leading candidates — bolstered by his economic background and business and investment connections. He hasn't previously held political office.
In 2024, Al-Janoob was one of a number of banks that were banned by Iraq’s central bank from dealing in dollars amid pressure from the U.S. to crack down on money laundering and the funneling of funds to Iran. However, neither the bank nor al-Zaidi is under U.S. sanctions.
