Barzani meets Erdogan in Turkey over security and economic cooperation
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani paid a visit on Friday to Turkey to discuss security and economic ties.
Barzani’s first international trip to Istanbul, which came amid tension in the region, aims to discuss bilateral relations, in addition to economic and security issues mainly linked to the activities of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).
During the visit, Barzani met with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who described Barzani as “a special guest.” He also congratulated Barzani on his appointment to the post of regional president despite tension between Ankara and Erbil due to the 2017 referendum on Kurdish independence that triggered a crisis for Iraq’s Kurds.
The visit came amid the ongoing “Operation Claw” in northern Iraq’s Hakurk region.