Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (cabinet.gov.krd) – Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani received Mr. Hakan Karacay, the new Consul General of Turkey to Erbil, and his accompanying delegation.

Mr. Karacay briefed the Prime Minister on the activities of the Turkish Consulate General in Erbil, and stressed further developing the relations between Turkey and the Kurdistan Region.

He also expressed his country's readiness to help resolving the outstanding issues between the Kurdistan Region and authorities in Baghdad.

Prime Minister Barzani congratulated the new Consul General of Turkey on his new assignment. He stressed that the Kurdistan Region views its relationship with Turkey with great interest, recalling Turkey’s assistance and support to the Kurdistan Region in challenging times, before and after the 1991 uprising against Saddam Hussein’s regime.

With regard to the current tension between Erbil and Baghdad, Prime Minister Barzani said that Turkey, as an important neighbor of both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, can play a positive role in resolving the issues between the Kurdistan Region and the Iraqi federal government.

Issues related to the current situation in the wider region was also discussed in the meeting.