PM Barzani to visit Tehran on Sunday: Iranian Consulate

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani will visit Tehran on Sunday to meet with Iranian officials, according to the Iranian Consulate General in Erbil.

The trip would mark the first time a Kurdish official has visited Iran following the Kurdistan Region’s Sep. 25 independence referendum which Tehran had strongly opposed.

Some Iranian officials had recently accused the KRG of being behind the widespread protests in the country, but Prime Minister Barzani rejected the allegations.

The Prime Minister is expected to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and discuss bilateral relations between Erbil and Tehran as well as normalizing ties between both sides following the historic Sep. 25 vote.

Nazim Dabbagh, the KRG’s representative to Iran, told Kurdistan 24 that the Kurdish delegation led by Prime Minister Barzani would fly to Tehran on Saturday evening.

KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani will accompany Barzani in the two-day visit, the Iranian news agency Mehr reported on Saturday.

“During his two-day visit, Barzani and his accompanying delegation will hold meetings with Iranian President [Rouhani], Iran’s Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, and other Iranian officials,” the agency added.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany