President Masoud Barzani meets with Turkish president and PM

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – President of Kurdistan Region Masoud Barzani arrived in the Turkish capital of Ankara on Tuesday in an unannounced visit to Turkey.

President Barzani landed in Ankara international airport in the afternoon and was greeted by Turkish officials.

On the visit, the Kurdistan Region Presidency (KRP) said in a statement that President Barzani would meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Binali Yildrim.

Barzani is also expected to meet the US Vice President Joe Biden in Turkey on Wednesday and later fly to Europe.

On Tuesday at 6:00 PM local time, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received President Barzani and his accompanied delegation in the presidential palace in Ankara.

The Turkish Presidency released a statement stating that among the issues addressed in the meeting between President Barzani and President Erdogan were the latest regional developments and the fight against IS as well as the steps to be taken to terminate activities of the Fetullah Gulen-linked schools and institutions in the Kurdistan Region.

[President Barzani's met with the Turkish president at presidential palace in Ankara, August 23, 2016]

In the meeting which lasted about two hours President Barzani reiterated the Kurdistan Region’s support to the democratically elected government of Turkey against the July 15 coup attempt, the statement read.

Following the meet with the Turkish president, President Barzani was received by the Turkish PM Binali Yildrim at Cankaya Palace discussing bilateral relations and regional developments.

[President Barzani's meeting with the Turkish PM, August 23, 2016]

Avni Ezgurlu, a prominent Turkish journalist, told Kurdistan24 that Barzani can play a positive role in resuming peace process between Turkey and Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

He stated that “Barzani will mediate between the Turkish government and the PKK to restore the peace talks between both sides and bring the conflicting sides to the negotiation table again.”

According to a Kurdistan24 reporter, the Peshmerga offensive against IS extremists in Mosul and restoration of the peace process are among the topics discussed in the two-hour meeting between the Turkish and the Kurdistan Region president. 
The reporter added it is expected that President Barzani will meet a delegate from the People's Democratic Party headed by the party's co-leader Salahadin Demirtas in Ankara on Wednesday.

Editing by Ava Homa
(Baxtiyar Goran contributed to this report)