Masoud Barzani visits Jordan, expected to meet King Abdullah II
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani has arrived in Amman for a visit on an invitation from King Abdullah II.
Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), was welcomed in the Jordanian capital by Prince Faisal bin Hussein and is expected to meet with the king this evening, according to a statement from his office.
Jordan has strong relations with the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.
King Abdullah visited Baghdad earlier this month. Iraq and Jordan share a 176-kilometre border and have plans for an oil pipeline and electricity imports. They also share security concerns related to threats from terrorist groups like ISIS.
The Kurdistan Region and Jordan have ties that date back to Barzani’s father Mullah Mustafa and King Hussein bin Talal. Jordan has a consulate in Erbil and its flag carrier airline Royal Jordanian operates regular flights in and out of Erbil and Sulaimani.
Barzani’s term of president of the Kurdistan Region ended in 2017, but he remains an influential person in Kurdistan’s political scene as head of the largest party.