Nechirvan Barzani, Erdogan discuss improving ties in first phone call since independence referendum

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister and the newly re-elected Turkish president spoke over the phone for the first time since the Kurdistan Region held an independence referendum last year.

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had a conversation over the phone on Monday, a statement from the KRG website said.

Barzani congratulated Erdogan following his re-election as President in the June 24 snap elections in Turkey as well as his party’s victory in the parliamentary polls.

According to the statement, Barzani and Erdogan discussed ties between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey and emphasized ways to improve them.

The KRG Prime Minister and Turkish President expressed the importance of relations between Erbil and Ankara, it added.

During the phone call, Barzani and Erdogan discussed the situation and latest developments in the region, as well as some other topics, the KRG statement concluded.

Turkey officially opened its consulate in the Kurdistan Region in 2010. Since then, ties between Erbil and Ankara have substantially developed, notably in the energy and trade sector.

However, relations between the two sides became tense following the Kurdistan Region’s independence referendum last September as Turkey was one of the neighboring countries who strongly opposed the vote.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany