President of Kurdistan Region and Prime Minister of the Region Welcome Turkish President in Erbil

ARK New… The President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, and the Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani, welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Erbil International Airport this evening, Monday.

The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, arrived in Erbil this evening, Monday, April 22, 2024, as part of his official visit to Iraq, which he initiated with a visit to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. This visit marks a significant occasion, being the first of its kind since March 2011 when he was the Prime Minister of Turkey.

During the visit, Erdogan is expected to hold meetings with President Masoud Barzani, Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, and Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, to discuss various issues of mutual interest.

Several officials from the region welcomed the Turkish delegation at the airport, including the Deputy Prime Minister of the Region, Qubad Talabani, Interior Minister of Kurdistan, Rebwar Ahmed, Governor of Erbil, Omid Khoshnaw, and Minister of Peshmerga, Shorsh Ismail.

Earlier today, Nechirvan Barzani, President of the Kurdistan Region, stated in a post on X: "President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's historic visit to Baghdad and Erbil comes at a very important time, highlighting the strong political, economic, and security relations between Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and Turkey."

He added, "I look forward to discussing urgent issues, including peace, stability, and economic development."

Accompanying Erdogan on his visit is a high-level delegation including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defense Minister Ismail Demir, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, Trade Minister Omar Polat, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Industry and Technology Minister Mehmet Fatih Kacir, in addition to the Head of Communications at the Turkish Presidency, Fahrettin Altun, and the President's Advisor for Foreign Policy and Security, Akif Chagatai Gül.

74