Iraqi Kurdistan leader meets with Türkiye's Erdogan

Iraqi Kurdistan Region's President Nechirvan Barzani on January 26 was received by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

Both leaders talked about a range of issues, including energy, according to a statement from Barzani’s office, Rudaw informs.

The sides touched on a number of pressing issues, such as Erbil-Baghdad relations and “the ongoing negotiations to resolve the pending issues between the two sides,” read the statement.  

“Both sides stressed their mutual readiness to promote relations between the Kurdistan Region and Türkiye in all areas, especially in trade and economic cooperation, and to utilize the existing opportunities to expand the joint partnership of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region with Türkiye in the field of energy, which can actively contribute to filling the void and addressing the needs in the world today, especially in Europe in the field of natural gas and energy,” it added.

Erdogan’s office said the meeting took place in Presidential Palace in Ankara without elaborating on what was discussed.  

Ankara and Erbil enjoy great economic relations, and most of the Kurdistan Region's crude oil is marketed through Turkey's pipelines.

President Barzani and Erdogan last met in March 2022. Erdogan at the time told reporters that his country seeks a win-win deal to export natural gas from Iraq, adding that Barzani had promised during the trip to facilitate talks.