KRG's Barzani meets Erdoğan, Foreign Minister in Ankara

Photo: AA

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has received Nechirvan Barzani, the President of Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), in the capital Ankara.

Erdoğan hosted the visiting official at the presidential complex in a closed-door meeting for over an hour, the state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.

Barzani visited Turkey upon an invitation by Ankara, KRG's Rudaw agency reported, citing a foreign policy advisor to Barzani.

"The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and its implications on Turkey's and the Kurdistan Region's economies were discussed in the meeting. In this regard, the foreign minister of Turkey showed their willingness to aid the Kurdistan Region by dispatching medical supplies to combat the epidemic," read a statement from the KRG Presidency, according to Rudaw's translation.

Ahead of his meeting with Erdoğan, Barzani also met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.

In a Twitter post, Çavuşoğlu said he hosted KRG President Nechirvan Barzani and his delegation.

The minister said the two officials discussed bilateral relations and "the joint fight against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)."

Prior to his arrival in Ankara, Barzani met with France's President Emmanuel Macron and held a round of meetings with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad, including Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and President Barham Salih. (VK)