ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Top officials from the Kurdistan Region and Iran expressed their aspirations for stronger bilateral ties between the two sides in a meeting in Erbil on Thursday.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at Erbil International Airport on Thursday morning. The two leaders and their delegations then held a meeting at the office of President Barzani.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, and several other key officials were present at the meeting.
President Barzani “expressed the Kurdistan Region's desire to develop relations and expand cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran in all fields, and stressed that the Kurdish people always view with respect and appreciation Iran's cooperation and support during hard times,” according to a statement from the presidency.
Pezeshkian conveyed Tehran’s desire for boosting relations with Erbil and Baghdad “in all sectors,” adding that Iran attaches great importance to its ties with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, the statement added.
Erbil and Tehran’s longstanding relations, ways to expand trade ties, and significance of preserving regional security and stability were also highlighted in the meeting.
Pezeshkian also met with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani and extended him a formal invitation to visit Iran.
The Kurdistan Region and Iran enjoy good ties in several sectors, mainly trade and tourism. The relationship has been strained in recent years by Tehran’s attacks on exiled Kurdish groups and deadly missile strikes inside the Kurdistan Region’s borders on locations that it alleged were Mossad bases. Erbil has vehemently rejected the claims.
Pezeshkian told reporters in Erbil that the Iranian delegation is here to strengthen ties with both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region “to resolve all problems that have existed so far.”
“It was stressed that the Kurdistan Region will never become a source of threat to Iran and neighboring countries and is completely committed to the Iraq-Iran security agreement,” the statement from the presidency added.
The two countries signed a security pact in March 2023 that saw Baghdad agree to disarm Kurdish opposition groups and secure the border regions. Iran had threatened to use military action if Baghdad failed to fulfill the agreement.
Iran and Iraq have shared a strong relationship since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.Tehran has increased its influence over Baghdad, and the country has dozens of armed groups who are affiliated with the Shiite rule in Tehran.
