Erdogan meets Iraq's KRG head in Ankara in closed-door meeting

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosted Nechirvan Barzani, President of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), for a high-level meeting in Ankara on october 9, amid ongoing regional efforts to dismantle the presence of the PKK terrorist group.

The closed-door talks took place at Erdogan’s residence and were attended by key Turkish officials, including National Intelligence Organization (MIT) chief Ibrahim Kalin, Communications Director Burhanettin Duran, and Chief Foreign Policy and Security Adviser Akif Cagatay Kilic. Prior to his meeting with Erdogan, Barzani also held discussions with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Caliber.Az reports via Turkish media.

The visit comes at a critical time, as the Turkish government intensifies its “Terror-Free Türkiye” initiative. The campaign targets the disarmament and expulsion of the PKK, which maintains senior leadership and operational camps in areas of northern Iraq under KRG control, particularly around Sulaymaniya.

In a symbolic move toward disarmament, PKK militants were reported to have burned weapons in Sulaymaniya in July — a gesture seen as a tentative step in response to the Turkish-led initiative.

Speaking a day before the Ankara visit, Barzani called on the PKK to fully abandon its positions in both northern Iraq and northern Syria, referencing the YPG — the PKK’s Syrian affiliate — which has established a de facto autonomous zone during the Syrian civil war. Barzani stressed that the KRG “maintains very friendly relations with Türkiye” and expressed support for Ankara’s counter-terrorism efforts.

By Sabina Mammadli