ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Friday met with Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, discussing regional developments and Erbil's desire to promote bilateral ties with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The two discussed the general situation in Iraq after the parliamentary elections and the latest developments in the region, according to a statement from Barzani’s office.

“The Prime Minister thanked the UAE for its continued support and cooperation and reiterated the Kurdistan Region's desire to promote bilateral relations. He also praised the appointment of an UAE envoy for economic affairs with the Kurdistan Region,” read the statement,  adding that the two leaders agreed on the importance of strengthening bilateral relations “in all fields.”

#BREAKING: Kurdistan Region PM Masrour Barzani meets with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi pic.twitter.com/1AdEXjx6Qw

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The Kurdish premier arrived in the UAE on Thursday, being received by Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the United Arab Emirates’ deputy prime minister and minister of interior, with whom he discussed prospects for enhancing bilateral relations.

Both sides highlighted the importance of strengthening the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the Kurdistan Regional Government and the UAE, noting opportunities for deeper coordination across multiple sectors, a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) detailed.

Relations between Abu Dhabi and Erbil have seen major improvements under the KRG’s ninth cabinet. 

Prime Minister Barzani has paid several visits to the UAE since 2019, and has already met with the Emirati president twice in 2025.

Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai in February, the Kurdish premier said “UAE has been a model that we've been looking up to, and really has helped us to accelerate the changes and the reforms that we have done in our region.”

In October, Prime Minister Barzani received an Emirati delegation in Erbil to discuss the expansion of bilateral cooperation and more than 30 Emiriati initiatives "designed to bring UAE expertise to the Kurdistan Region."

The projects include a centralized Performance Management System (PMS) for the KRG, which will reimagine the government’s ability to monitor its departments, and the Kurdistan Coders Program, aimed at upskilling the Kurdistan Region’s youth across all provinces in digital and coding skills.

The Emirati foreign ministry appointed Minister of State Saeed Mubarak Rashid al-Hajeri as its Envoy for Special Affairs to the Kurdistan Region in September. Hajeri led a high-level delegation, including several ministers, to Erbil, making Tuesday’s event the second key visit by UAE officials to the Kurdistan Region in just over two months.

Hajeri’s visit was preceded just days earlier in early September by a delegation from the KRG’s Board of Investment to the UAE to attend a conference promoting investment in the Kurdistan Region, with Emirati investment in the Region reportedly valued at over $3.3 billion.

Emirati companies maintain a strong presence in the Region, with the UAE-based Dana Gas operating the Khor Mor gas field in Sulaimani province, which recently came under attack by drones. The ensuing damage saw the Region's electricity supply significantly hampered.

Production has since been “restored to normal levels” and security at the facility has been strengthened, the UAE-based Dana Gas, who operate the field, announced on Wednesday, thanking Erbil and Baghdad for the heightened security measures.