President Barzani ends three-day visit to Iran
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Tuesday returned to Erbil following two days of meetings with Iranian leaders and commanders.
Barzani arrived in Tehran on Sunday alongside a high-level delegation from the Kurdistan Region He met with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Ebrahim Raisi, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian the following day.
His latest meeting was with Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Barzani and Salami talked about Iran’s relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in terms of security, with both sides “emphasizing the importance of further bolstering cooperation and coordination of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s relevant authorities with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in order to maintain security and stability of borders,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency on Tuesday.
“There are also issues and we cannot say there are no issues, but what is important is we have to attempt to resolve these issues. We saw a strong will from this trip to resolve the issues that exist between us," he added.
The Kurdistan Region and Iran enjoy good economic relations. During a forum in Sulaimani in April, Barzani said that Iran contributed to the economic “success” of the Kurdistan Region.
But the overall relations between the two sides have been fluctuating, mainly due to Tehran’s attacks on exiled Kurdish groups and deadly missile strikes on locations that it alleged were Mossad bases in the Region.
Barzani arrived in Tehran on Sunday alongside a high-level delegation from the Kurdistan Region He met with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, President Ebrahim Raisi, and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian the following day.
His latest meeting was with Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Barzani and Salami talked about Iran’s relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in terms of security, with both sides “emphasizing the importance of further bolstering cooperation and coordination of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s relevant authorities with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region in order to maintain security and stability of borders,” read a statement from the Kurdistan Region Presidency on Tuesday.
Barzani told reporters before leaving Tehran that his visit was “good for the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we believe that this visit is a new start to the Kurdistan Region’s relations with Iran.”.@IKRPresident Nechirvan Barzani in Tehran met with the Commander-in-Chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, General Hossein Salami. Their discussion encompassed border security, cooperation on security challenges, and averting further escalation of regional tensions. pic.twitter.com/pUobfmprYF
— KRP Media (@MediaKRP) May 7, 2024
“There are also issues and we cannot say there are no issues, but what is important is we have to attempt to resolve these issues. We saw a strong will from this trip to resolve the issues that exist between us," he added.
The Kurdistan Region and Iran enjoy good economic relations. During a forum in Sulaimani in April, Barzani said that Iran contributed to the economic “success” of the Kurdistan Region.
But the overall relations between the two sides have been fluctuating, mainly due to Tehran’s attacks on exiled Kurdish groups and deadly missile strikes on locations that it alleged were Mossad bases in the Region.