ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Following his meetings with Iraqi officials in Baghdad, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Erbil on Monday, where he was received by the Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani.
Erdogan arrived in Baghdad on Monday for a one-day visit during which he met with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid and Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani. He later traveled to Erbil to meet with President Barzani and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. Erdogan is heading a delegation of at least eight ministers.
The Turkish president was received by both President Barzani and Prime Minister Barzani at Erbil International Airport on Monday evening.
The Kurdistan Region's president said that Erdogan’s visit comes at a "critical time" for the region.
Erdogan’s visit “highlights the strong political, economic, and security ties between Iraq and the Kurdistan Region with Türkiye. I look forward to welcoming President Erdogan to Erbil and to discuss pressing issues, including peace, stability and economic development,” President Barzani said on X.
The visit is Erdogan's first to the Kurdistan Region in his tenure as president. His last visit to Erbil dates back to 2011, as which time when he was serving as Turkey's prime minister.
The resumption of Kurdish oil exports is one of the crucial topics expected to be discussed between the leaders. Oil exports have been halted for over a year after a Paris-based arbitration court ruled in favor of Baghdad against Ankara, saying the latter had breached a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to begin independent oil exports in 2014. The ruling has rendered the Iraq-Turkey pipeline unusable.
Despite several talks between Kurdish, Iraqi, and Turkish officials, the exports have yet to resume, and many international oil companies have suspended production. Over 11 billion dollars in revenue have been lost since the exports were halted.
During his visit in Erbil, Erdogan also met with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani.
In this visit, border security is also high on Ankara’s agenda, with Turkey intensifying cross-border strikes against Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) fighters in the mountainous areas of the Kurdistan Region in recent months.Pleased to receive Turkish President @RTErdogan today in Kurdistan where we discussed continued paths of cooperation in pursuit of the interests of the people of Kurdistan and Turkey. pic.twitter.com/gP8fnllUI4
— Masoud Barzani (@masoud_barzani) April 22, 2024
The PKK is a Kurdish group that has waged an armed insurgency against the Turkish state for decades in the struggle for greater Kurdish rights in the country. It is designated as a terrorist organization by Ankara, as well as the United States and the European Union.
Updated at 11:20 pm
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