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Nechirvan Barzani, president of Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Thursday in Ankara in a muted visit. Earlier, he held talks with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. No press conference was scheduled for Barzani.
The Iraqi Kurdish leader is a frequent visitor to the Turkish capital, but his latest visit coincides with increased momentum in relations between Türkiye and the KRG amid significant developments in the region.
The KRG controls parts of Iraq where the PKK terrorist group’s senior leadership is hiding out. The PKK started disarmament by symbolically burning its weapons in July in the KRG-controlled Sulaymaniya. The disarmament is part of the terror-free Türkiye initiative launched by Turkish government ally Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli.
Barzani told an event in Irbil, Iraq, on Wednesday that the PKK should also “give up Syria’s north,” referring to the YPG, the Syrian wing of the terrorist group, which carved out a self-styled autonomous region there amid the Syrian civil war. At the same event, Barzani said the KRG maintained very friendly relations with Türkiye and they were intent on maintaining them. He stated that Türkiye was serious about a terror-free initiative. He urged the PKK to “take the risk” instead of waiting for steps from Türkiye.
Barzani’s visit also follows the resumption of oil delivery late September from the KRG-controlled region to Türkiye after exports were halted more than two years ago.
