ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan met in Tehran on Tuesday after attending the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s new president. Bolstering of Erbil-Ankara ties was among a range of topics discussed in the meeting.
Barzani and Fidan “expressed both sides’ desire to expand cooperation and enhance Turkey’s relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in all fields,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency.
“They also touched on the latest developments in the region and a number of issues of mutual interest,” the statement added.
The meeting came after President Barzani and Fidan as well as dozens of other foreign dignitaries attended the swearing-in ceremony of Masoud Pezeshkian as Iran’s new president, two days after the country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei endorsed the reformist politician’s elevation to power.
Kurdistan Region and Turkey enjoy strong economic and political relations. The Region relies on the neighboring country for the lion’s share of its trade and investment, its economy being heavily dependent on foreign imports of food and consumer goods, paid for with oil wealth.
