ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday met Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Abu Dhabi, with both sides condemning recent attacks on the UAE and discussing strengthening relations.

The Kurdish premier departed for the Emirati capital earlier in the day to meet with the top officials, the former of which serves as the rule of Abu Dhabi and the latter the ruler of Dubai in addition to their government titles.

"During the meeting, both sides condemned the recent attacks on the UAE and stressed the importance of protecting the region's security and stability," read a statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

In Abu Dhabi, I discussed with my brothers HH Sheikh @MohamedBinZayed and HH Sheikh @HHShkMohd developments in the region.

We condemned the recent attacks on the UAE and stressed the need to maintain peace and stability.

We also agreed to further expand on the partnership… pic.twitter.com/x0suBMrPUI

— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) September 1, 2026

On Monday, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have targeted the United Arab Emirates’ Al Minhad Air Base with "dozens of drones" following US strikes on the country, with Abu Dhabi saying it had intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters but that the airbase itself did not endure any successful strike.

Both the Kurdistan Region and the UAE suffered greatly during the US-Israeli war with Iran, coming under incessant bombardment from Iran and its aligned proxies after being designated as "hostile bases" under Tehran's security doctrine. 

The Emirati consulate in Erbil, first opened in 2012, was targeted multiple times in March, drawing sharp criticism and vows of solidarity from the Kurdistan Region's leadership. 

Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday met Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in Abu Dhabi. pic.twitter.com/VT4vvt4FUd

— The New Region (@thenewregion) September 1, 2026

The KRG statement on the Tuesday meeting noted that both sides discussed the "latest developments" in the region and "reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening relations between the Kurdistan Region and the UAE and expanding cooperation and coordination across various sectors."

According to the Emirati state-owned WAM outlet, Prime Minister Barzani and President Al Nayhan discussed the "longstanding ties" between Erbil and Abu Dhabi as well as "ways to further strengthen cooperation for the mutual benefit of their peoples."

"The two sides also exchanged views on a number of issues of mutual interest and underscored the importance of efforts to strengthen security, stability and lasting peace in the Middle East for the benefit of all peoples of the region."

 

 

 

 

 

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During Barzani's premiership, Erbil has enjoyed increasingly close ties with Abu Dhabi, leading to enhanced cooperation in a number of technological and development initiatives.

The Emirati foreign ministry appointed Minister of State Saeed Mubarak Rashid al-Hajeri as the ministry’s Envoy for Special Affairs to the Kurdistan Region in September 2025, with Prime Minister Barzani receiving an Emirati delegation in Erbil the month after 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.