FM Davutoğlu holds talks with KRG PM Barzani over key regional developments

ANKARA – Anadolu Agency

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu welcomes Nechirvan Barzani, Prime Minister of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, for a meeting in Ankara on July 30. AFP photo

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu held a closed-doors meeting on July 30 with Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, who is in Ankara for two days of talks with Turkish officials.

According to diplomatic sources, Davutoğlu and Barzani focused on bilateral relations, recent incidents in Iraq, the situation of Syria, the Kurdish National Conference and recent developments in Egypt during the meeting.
 
The sources said Davutoğlu and Barzani agreed that Turkey and KRG had a common stance and concerns about the recent developments in the region, adding that Barzani had similar stance with Turkey regarding the future of Syria, and he gave the message that they did not want any division in the country. The visit of the leader of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), Saleh Muslim, to Turkey over the weekend was also discussed.

According to the sources, Davutoğlu and Barzani also expressed uneasiness over escalating violence and terrorism in Iraq, while expressing their willingness to develop mutual cooperation in every field, particularly energy. Barzani will meet Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan this afternoon.
 
Nechirvan Barzani’s visit comes shortly after a Kurdish conference that took place in Arbil in northern Iraq, attended by representatives from a number of Kurdish groups from neighboring countries, including Turkey, Syria and Iran.
 
Turkey has sped up talks with Kurdish officials after the PYD in Syria moved to establish autonomous rule in the northern Kurdish parts of the country, after the group’s armed wing dislodged the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front in fighting earlier in July.