During the United Nations General Assembly, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met to discuss bilateral security and regional stability. A primary outcome of these discussions was a formal agreement to initiate a gradual handover of the Bashiqa military base, located in northern Iraq, to the Iraqi government.

The Bashiqa base has been a point of contention for years, with Iraq frequently calling for the withdrawal of Turkish forces, which Ankara maintains are necessary to combat Kurdish militant groups operating in the region. While the specific timeline for the withdrawal remains unspecified, the agreement signals a shift toward normalizing security relations between the two neighbors. Both leaders emphasized the need for deeper cooperation on border security and counter-terrorism efforts as part of a broader diplomatic thaw. The handover is expected to be conducted in phases, allowing for a transition of security responsibilities to Iraqi forces without creating a power vacuum in the area.