KDP President Masoud Barzani, Turkish intelligence chief discuss ‘regional developments’

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani on Sunday met with Ibrahim Kalın, the head of the Turkish intelligence agency, known as MIT in Erbil and discussed the latest regional developments, according to a statement.

Barzani and Kalın also discussed the threats of terrorism along with the latest regional developments, a statement from the Kurdish leader’s office read.

The two officials underlined the bilateral relations between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey as well as cooperation to safeguard stability and security, according to the press release.

Marking his first official visit to Iraq as the head of MIT, Kalın has also visited Baghdad, where he met with Iraqi top officials.

Border security was the center stage of the topics that he had discussed with Iraqi officials, according to press releases. 

Turkey and Iraq have had rocky relations in the past decades, largely due to the presence of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which has been fighting Ankara since the mid-1980s.

Iraq has condemned Turkish attacks on suspected PKK members and positions inside its territory, citing the repeated aerial attacks as a fringe on its sovereignty.

Bolstered by its advanced drone industry, Turkey has ramped up its drone strikes in recent years, particularly in the urban centers of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, to target suspected PKK positions.

Similar strikes in the past have also been blamed on Turkey, which have resulted in casualties, including senior PKK militants.

Kurdistan Region officials regularly call on Baghdad, officially in charge of border security affairs, to prevent the insurgents and foreign militaries from engaging in hostilities within its territory. Officials have voiced concerns about increased militia forces presence in the area.

Much of the conflict has been fought in the border areas of the Kurdistan Region, which has endangered the civilian population.