ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - President of the Kurdistan Region Nechirvan Barzani arrived in Ankara on Wednesday, where he will meet President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey.

 

“The two sides will engage in discussions regarding the advancement of Turkey's relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region,” the Kurdistan Region Presidency quoted Dilshad Shahab, spokesperson of the presidency, as saying.

 

Upon his arrival, President Barzani met with Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

 

According to Shahab, Erdogan and Barzani will also discuss “the recent developments in the wider region, while also sharing perspectives on other issues of mutual interest.”

 

Regional tensions are high amid soaring escalations between Lebanese Hezbollah and the Israeli military.

 

The two sides have engaged in frequent cross-border exchanges of fire for over a year, but tensions have been at an unprecedented high for nearly a month after a major cyberattack in Lebanon in mid-September.

 

Both sides have intensified their strikes in recent weeks. The Israeli army has launched a ground aggression in southern Lebanon aimed at “dismantling” Hezbollah and its capabilities, and also killed several top “Axis of Resistance” leaders, including former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

 

President Barzani’s visit to Ankara comes six months after the Turkish president’s visit to Baghdad and Erbil.

 

The Kurdish president is also set to meet Ahmed Abdul Ghent, secretary-general of the Arab League. 

 

Barzani’s last visit to Turkey was in March where he attended the Antalya Diplomacy Forum and met Erdogan on the sidelines of the event. 

 

The Kurdistan Region and Turkey enjoy strong economic relations with trade volume said to be over five billion dollars between Erbil and Ankara every year.