"Both parties stressed the importance of advancing the relations for both countries, discussing the opportunities and prospects for increasing commercial and economic activity, as well as projects involving Iranian private sector businesses in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region," read a statement from the Kurdistan Region presidency.
The two leaders also discussed the "political situation in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and the latest developments in the region, and reaffirmed their commitment to maintain stability," according to the statement.
Barzani arrived in Tehran on Sunday alongside a high-level delegation from the Kurdistan Region including Interior Minister Rebar Ahmed and several other senior officials. He met with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi the following day.
It was an honor to meet Supreme Leader of Iran, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid @khamenei_ir in Tehran today.
— Nechirvan Barzani (@IKRPresident) May 6, 2024
In the meeting, we reiterated Iraq and the Kurdistan Region’s desire to strengthen relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
President Barzani and Raisi discussed bolstering Iran’s relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region as well as raising the level of commercial trade and economic relations.
The Iranian president stated that Barzani’s trip will be “a turning point in improving the level of political, security, economic and cultural relations,” according to a statement from Raisi’s office.
Following his meeting with the Iranian foreign minister, President Barzani met with Ali Akbar Ahmadian, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.
President Barzani and Ahmadian discussed “the security situation and the cooperation and coordination between the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region for maintaining peace and stability,” according to a statement from the Kurdistan Region presidency.
“Both parties emphasized the importance of joint cooperation and coordination among the relevant entities in both countries to ensure peace and security, agreeing on the need to prevent the spread of instability and to keep the region from facing further challenges,” read the statement.
President Barzani stated that “the Kurdistan Region will always be a factor of peace and stability in the region and will never be a source of threat to any party,” while Ahmadian expressed Tehran’s continuous support for Baghdad and Erbil.
The Kurdistan Region and Iran enjoy good economic relations. During a forum in Sulaimani in April, Barzani said that Iran contributed to the economic “success” of the Kurdistan Region.
But the overall relations between the two sides have been fluctuating, mainly due to Tehran’s attacks on exiled Kurdish groups and deadly missile strikes on locations that it alleged were Mossad bases in the Region.
Dilshad Shahab, the spokesperson for the Kurdistan Region presidency, said that, through this trip, President Barzani wants to reaffirm to Erbil’s allies that the Kurdistan Region will never become a source of threat to the interests of its neighbors, especially Iran.
“It is no secret that there has been a kind of coldness in these [Erbil-Tehran] relations in recent times; we want to be assured that the common interests of both sides outweigh the obstacles that may arise,” Shahab told Rudaw’s Sangar Abdulrahman.
Updated at 8:36 pm