ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Thursday received Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister and Special Representative of President Vladimir Putin for the Middle East, and his accompanying delegation.

Iraq and the region’s latest development, the need to maintain security in Syria, the need to resolve outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad, and ways to further enhance bilateral relations between Erbil and Moscow were highlighted during the meeting, according to a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

Bogdanov “highlighted the significance of the Kurdistan Region and emphasized the strong historical ties between Russia and the Kurdistan Region,” and reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to increasing cooperation with Erbil in various fields, the statement added.

The Kurdish premier also expressed the Kurdistan Region’s desire to strengthen bilateral ties with Russia.

Putin’s representative officially extended an invitation to Prime Minister Barzani to visit Moscow.

The Kurdistan Region and Russia share long-standing relations, mainly in the energy sector. Russian energy giants Roseneft and Gazprom Neft are among the largest investors in the Kurdistan Region with over $5 billion dollars in investments.

Russia was among the first countries to open consulate in the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil in 2007, and the Region also has a representation in Moscow.