ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday received Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani in Ankara.
"I was delighted to meet with President @RTErdogan in Ankara today. It was a timely opportunity to share views on regional issues, and the close and strategic ties between Iraq, the Kurdistan Region and Türkiye," said President Barzani on X.
"We also discussed ways to further deepen our cooperation and promote regional peace, stability and prosperity," he added.
The two leaders' last meeting was on April 11 on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.
President Barzani arrived in Ankara earlier on Thursday and met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, discussing the “ongoing cooperation” between Kurdistan Region and Turkey, Barzani said in a post on X.
"We emphasized the importance of coordinated regional efforts to address issues of common interests and advance stability across the region,” he added.
The Kurdistan Region accounts for the majority of Turkish trade and investments in Iraq. Turkish companies make up more than half the foreign companies in the Kurdistan Region, where thousands of Turkish businessmen, investors and workers are doing business.
A spokesperson for Iraq’s Ministry of Trade told Rudaw last month that trade with Turkey had increased in the first six months of this year.
"Trade with Turkey reached $6.929 billion as of the end of June this year. Turkey's exports to Iraq stood at $5.638 billion, while Iraq's exports to the country stood at $991.615 million," said Mohammed Hanoun. All Iraq-Turkey border crossings are located in the Kurdistan Region.
Speaking at the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) Forum in Erbil on Wednesday, President Barzani praised Erbil-Ankara relations.
"When discussing our relations, it is evident that we share a very amicable relationship with Türkiye. Our connection is distinct, both in economic and political terms. The Kurdistan Region is committed to preserving this relationship with Turkey," he said.
The Kurdistan Region Presidency said in a statement that Barzani and Erdogan also discussed the recent resumption of Kurdistan Region’s oil exports.
“They highlighted the resumption of Kurdistan Region oil exports to world markets through Turkey's Ceyhan port, which is in the economic interest of all of Iraq. Both sides agreed that this process serves the peace and stability of Iraq in general,” read the statement.
“President Erdogan reaffirmed his country's continued support and backing for Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and described his country's relations with both sides as important and of interest to Turkey,” it added.
The Kurdistan Region’s oil exports resumed earlier this month following a three-month agreement between Baghdad, Erbil and the IOCs. Exports were halted in March 2023 after a Paris-based arbitration court ruled that Ankara had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to independently export oil beginning in 2014.
The resumption of Kurdish oil exports has been widely welcomed, with leaders hoping that it will be followed by a lasting agreement.
Last updated at 6:32 pm
