“I am delighted to meet with President @RTErdogan this evening in Antalya. We exchanged views on the latest events, enhancing Iraq and the Kurdistan Region’s economic cooperation with Türkiye, and advancing regional stability,” President Barzani said in a post on X.
The two “exchanged views on the development of relations and cooperation between Turkey and Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, especially in the fields of trade and economy, as well as the political and security situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” read the statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
The statement added that the latest developments in Gaza were also touched on as was “terrorism threats.”
The Turkish presidency said in a statement that the leaders covered regional and global issues, as well as “the fight against terrorism.”
They also discussed Iraq’s plan to develop transportation routes from its southern port to its northern border with Turkey as part of the Development Road project. The Turkish president told President Barzani that the project is “important for the countries in the region, especially Iraq and Turkey, and that Turkey’s full support for the project will continue,” read the statement from Erdogan’s office.
Last July, Erdogan told Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani that Ankara was ready to participate in the construction of the multi-billion dollar road and rail project.
President Barzani arrived in Turkey on Friday for the annual Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
The three-day event hosts “heads of states and governments, ministers, diplomats, business leaders, academics, think-tankers, and youth and media representatives for an all-encompassing debate,” the conference website reads.
The theme of the third edition of the event is “Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil.”
Erbil and Ankara enjoy strong economic and political ties, though there are several major issues between them.
The Kurdistan Region has been unable to export its oil through Turkey’s pipeline for nearly a year following a ruling from an arbitration court in Paris. After a series of talks between Erbil, Baghdad and Ankara, Turkey has expressed its readiness to resume the exports but the Iraqi and Kurdish governments are at odds regarding financial entitlements of the International Oil Companies (IOCs).
