Prime Minister Barzani Meets Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met Saturday in Istanbul with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan as part of his official visit to Türkiye, following an earlier meeting the same day with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

According to official statements released by the Kurdistan Region Government (KRG) on Saturday, the discussions focused on the latest political and security developments in the Kurdistan Region, Iraq, and the broader Middle East amid ongoing regional instability.

During the meeting, the two sides also discussed ongoing efforts to form Iraq’s next federal government, as political negotiations continue in Baghdad following months of internal disputes and wider regional tensions.

A significant portion of the talks focused on the strategic “Development Road” project, which aims to connect Gulf countries, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region with Türkiye and Europe through a large-scale railway and transportation corridor.

Both sides stressed the importance of accelerating the project due to its expected economic and geopolitical impact on the region. Officials say the corridor could transform Iraq and the Kurdistan Region into a major transit and trade hub linking Gulf markets with Europe.

"We further emphasized the importance of implementing the Development Road project and connecting the Gulf countries, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region with Türkiye and Europe through a railway network." Barzani wrote on his official X account, regarding his meeting today with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

I had a productive meeting with Foreign Minister @HakanFidan on the developments affecting the region. We also discussed the ongoing efforts to form the new federal cabinet in Iraq.

We further emphasized the importance of implementing the Development Road project and connecting… pic.twitter.com/c9nRPFLkDV

— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) May 9, 2026

Following the meeting, Prime Minister Barzani wrote on his official X account: “I had a productive meeting with Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the developments affecting the region. We also discussed the ongoing efforts to form the new federal cabinet in Iraq. We further emphasized the importance of implementing the Development Road project and connecting the Gulf countries, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region with Türkiye and Europe through a railway network.” 

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani met President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Istanbul, where both leaders emphasized strengthening economic cooperation, regional stability, trade relations, and strategic connectivity projects between Türkiye, Iraq, and the Kurdistan Region.

The Development Road project, first formally introduced by Iraq in 2023, includes approximately 1,200 kilometers of railway lines and highways extending from the Grand Al-Faw Port in southern Iraq toward Türkiye and Europe. The project is estimated to cost around $17 billion and is planned to be completed in multiple phases, extending to 2050, according to the Anadolu Agency, Dec. 19, 2023

Turkish officials have repeatedly described the project as a strategic economic corridor capable of reshaping regional trade routes while strengthening transportation, logistics, and energy cooperation between Türkiye, Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and Gulf countries.

The meetings come at a time when Türkiye and the Kurdistan Region are expanding coordination on regional security and economic stability following months of Middle East tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. Discussions increasingly focus on protecting border stability, securing strategic trade and energy corridors, preventing spillover from regional conflicts into Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and advancing large infrastructure projects such as the Development Road initiative.

During Hakan Fidan’s visit to Erbil in March 2026, he and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani discussed regional security developments and emphasized the importance of maintaining stability in the Kurdistan Region and the wider Middle East, according to an official KRG statement.

Türkiye has recently expanded diplomatic engagement with both Baghdad and Erbil regarding border security, economic cooperation, energy coordination, and the future of regional transportation networks.

Analysts view Barzani’s meetings with Erdoğan and Fidan as part of broader efforts to deepen strategic relations between the Kurdistan Region and Türkiye at a time when regional powers increasingly prioritize economic corridors, infrastructure connectivity, and geopolitical cooperation amid ongoing instability across the Middle East.