Qatar's FM lands in Kurdistan Region ahead of new Erbil consulate opening

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Qatari foreign minister arrived in Erbil on Wednesday as the Gulf nation prepares to open a new consulate in the capital of the autonomous Kurdistan Region.

Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, who also serves as Qatar's deputy prime minister, flew from Baghdad, where he was coordinating plans for an upcoming joint summit between Iraq, Egypt, and Jordan to be held there in the coming months.

After landing in Erbil, he first met with Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud Barzani at his office in Pirmam.

According to a statement from Barzani's office, al-Thani said that the opening of the Qatari consulate in Erbil will "prepare a platform to on the economic and investment opportunities in the region, hoping that relations between Qatar and the region will witness further prosperity and progress."

For his part, Barzani welcomed the expansion of relations between the Kurdistan Region and Qatar.

Later on Wednesday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani received al-Thani, also praised Qatar's decision to open a consulate in Erbil, writing in his own statement that he considered it "an opportunity to develop bilateral relations and for the Qatari private sector to invest in the region and Iraq."

During the meeting, both sides discussed the recent development in Iraq, Erbil-Baghdad ties, and the importance of cooperation for security and stability in the wider region, steps to confront the continued risks of both the Islamic State and the coronavirus.

In the meeting, President Barzani accepted an invitation extended by the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani, to visit Qatar in the near future.

Editing by John J. Catherine