Al-Maliki: Turkish ties with certain Iraqi parties is an "irritant" 

Shafaq News/ The head of the State of Law Coalition, Nouri al-Maliki, said that the ties Turkey forged with certain parties in Iraq have been an "irritant" to other actors in the political process, urging Ankara to refrain from taking part in any crisis-inducing agendas.

Al-Maliki's remarks came during a meeting he held with Turkey's ambassador to Iraq, Alireza Guney, in his bureau downtown the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Sunday.

According to a readout issued by his media office, al-Maliki discussed with his guest the latest updates on the Iraqi, regional, and international arenas.

"The Turkish involvement in the government formation has been an irritant to other parties and their feelings," he said according to the statement. 

Al-Maliki called on Turkey to avoid being a part of any "project that stirs crisis and targets a component, because the crisis resolution in Iraq begins with consensus and halting the interventions that empower a party at the expense of another."

"Establishing good ties with Turkey and developing it is in the best interest of Iraq," he said, calling for boosting cooperation prospects between the two neighboring countries at the commercial and economic aspects.