ANKARA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- Iraq's Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi on Friday expressed support for the memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed between Turkey and Iraq on energy and security during Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's visit to Ankara earlier this month.

    Al-Hashimi, who arrived in Ankara late Thursday night for a working visit, made the remarks at a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gul after their meeting.

    Al-Hashimi said that they exchanged views on the bilateral relations, economic and commercial relations as well as security relations.

    "One of those MoUs includes a long-term cooperation between Turkey and Iraq in trade and energy while the other envisages cooperation in security. We support both MoUs," said al-Hashimi.

    "We consider the cooperation in security essential and necessary. It is not possible for us to accept attacks on our neighbors from Iraqi soil. We will stand behind the agreements signed between Turkey and Iraq," he said.

    Al-Hashimi thanked the Turkish authorities including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Gul for their efforts for protection of Iraq's territorial integrity and tranquility.

    Despite his support for the MoUs signed by Maliki, al-Hashimi said his Sunni political party, which recently pulled its Deputy Prime Minister and five ministers out of Maliki's government, won't return to the Iraqi cabinet led by Shiite prime minister Maliki.

    "We don't have such a thought, such a willingness. We have suggested a package of reforms which includes our expectations. We may return to the cabinet if the government meets our expectations," said al-Hashimi.

    In early August, Iraq's largest Sunni political bloc the Iraqi Accordance Front announced its withdrawal from Maliki's government over his failure to meet their demands, leaving Maliki's cabinet virtually with only Shiite and Kurds.

    The move dealt a major blow to Maliki's government, which had been seeking to achieve national reconciliation among the county's Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds.

    On recent security developments in Iraq, al-Hashimi said the Iraqi authorities had some difficulties in safeguarding security in Iraq while urging Turkey to continue supporting Iraq in restoring security in the war-torn Arab nation.

    "Since the very beginning, Turkey has been exerting efforts for Iraq's territorial integrity, stability, national compromise and success of its political process," he said.

    "We need Turkey to consolidate its role and influence as long as the situation continues to worsen in Iraq. Because developments in Iraq do not concern only the Iraqi people, but also all neighboring countries," al-Hashimi added.

    Turkey has been sometimes at odds with Iraq over its crackdown on the outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), which is active in southeastern Turkey's border areas with Iraq.

    Ankara has been asking Baghdad and the U.S. to do more to crackdown on the PKK as the PKK has stepped up its attacks on government troops in southeastern Turkey in recent months, which had provoked Ankara to voice request to conduct a cross-border operation against the PKK strongholds in northern Iraq.

    The PKK, listed by the U.S. and the EU as a terrorist group, launched an armed campaign for an ethnic homeland in the mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking decades of strife that has claimed more than 30,000 lives.

    For his part, Gul said that Turkey's policy regarding Iraq is to continue efforts for peace in Iraq in its territorial integrity and political unity.

    "We are in close touch with all Iraqis to achieve this," he said. "We are often meeting all Iraqis without any discrimination, exchanging our views, extending aid, and we are exerting efforts to contribute to peace in Iraq."

    "The status quo in Iraq is not too good. However, a division in Iraq is not a solution but the worst scenario. A division is not and can not be an alternative," said Gul.

    Gul also said terrorists had many advantages in the war-torn country "due to an authority vacuum in Iraq."

    "These terrorists pose a threat to both Turkey and Iran. All countries have the right to preserve their unity and protect their borders," he said.

    Gul indicated that the biggest problem for Iraq was the existence of various groups.

    "If these groups separate themselves from each other, Iraq's national unity would be in jeopardy ... The government of Iraq and the opposition must embrace each other," he said.