Foreign ministers of the Arab League held an emergency meeting in Cairo on Thursday at the request of the Iraqi government. On the agenda: finding a solution to Turkey’s ongoing military presence in Northern Iraq.

Hundreds of Turkish troops entered Iraq earlier this month and are stationed near Mosul. Turkey says they are there to protect Turkish military personnel training Iraqi militia in the area.

But Baghdad wants them out and the Arab League agrees.

“We support Iraq’s request and this reflects our great Arab solidarity with them,” Nabil Elaraby, Secretary General of the Arab League, told the forum. “We stand as Arab countries along with Iraq and we call on Turkey to immediately withdraw its military forces from Iraq and respect the international border between the two countries.”

Iraq says it will give Turkey a few days to withdraw but warned that it is willing to escalate its actions.

For the time being, however, military conflict is unlikely, explains euronews cor