Davutoglu in Baghdad on an official visit

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu arrived in Baghdad Sunday on a two-day official visit, during which he will hold talks with Iraqi senior officials aiming to improve bilateral relations. Davutoglu will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Vice President Khudair Alkhozai and Parliament Speaker Osama Najafi, in addition to Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, who received him at the airport accompanied by a number of political leaders. Davutoglu's visit which includes Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf aims at seeking a fresh start to chilled ties and ending the tension that soured them on the back of mutual accusations of meddling in the internal affairs of each other and Ankara's refusal to hand over to the Iraqi authorities Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi who has been sentenced to death in absentia. Relations between Baghdad and Ankara witnessed a marked progress in recent weeks, as Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari visited Ankara on October 25 to iron out differences and mend affairs