Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani meets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul during an official visit to Türkiye.
PM Barzani meets Erdogan in Istanbul to discuss PKK disarmament and KRG-Turkey ties
ISTANBUL — Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul on Saturday, with talks covering bilateral relations, Iraq’s government formation, regional security and the PKK disarmament process.
The meeting was attended by senior Turkish officials including Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, National Defense Minister Yasar Guler, Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar and National Intelligence Organization Director Ibrahim Kalin.
Barzani praised Erdogan and Turkey for their role in maintaining regional peace and stability, while Erdogan described President Masoud Barzani and the Kurdistan Region as “an important factor of peace and stability in the region.”
On Iraq’s political process, both sides expressed hope that the incoming federal government would “promote peace and stability in Iraq, serve all communities without discrimination, and resolve issues between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government on the basis of the Constitution.”
The two also discussed the PKK disarmament process, with Barzani reiterating his support and Erdogan stressing the importance of seeing it through to completion.
Full statement:
Prime Minister Masrour Barzani today met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul during his official visit to the Republic of Türkiye.
During the meeting, which was attended by Türkiye’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan, Minister of National Defense Yaşar Güler, Minister of Energy Alparslan Bayraktar, and Director of the National Intelligence Organization İbrahim Kalın, they emphasized the importance of strengthening relations between Türkiye and the Kurdistan Region across various sectors.
The Prime Minister praised the role of President Erdoğan and Türkiye in maintaining peace and stability in the region and reiterated the Kurdistan Region’s desire to further promote bilateral cooperation and coordination.
President Erdoğan commended President Masoud Barzani and the Kurdistan Region as an important factor of peace and stability in the region.
In another part of the meeting, the efforts of the Iraqi political factions to form a new federal cabinet were discussed. Both sides hoped that the new federal cabinet will promote peace and stability in Iraq, serve all communities without discrimination, and resolve issues between the Kurdistan Region and the federal government on the basis of the Constitution.
The peace process and the disarmament of the PKK were also discussed during the meeting. Prime Minister Barzani reiterated his support for the process, while President Erdoğan stressed the importance of continuing the efforts to ensure its success and completion.