President Barzani meets Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lav

[Aslan]

Moscow, Russia (KRP.org) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hosted President Masoud Barzani in the Russian Foreign Ministry yesterday for discussions on bilateral relations and the situation in Iraq and Syria.

In today’s meeting, both sides emphasized the need to strengthen relations between Russia on the one hand and Iraq and the Kurdistan Region on the other.

Foreign Minister Lavrov echoed President Putin’s words yesterday that Russia wants to establish strong ties with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The two sides also discussed developments in Syria and the impact of this crisis on both Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. President Barzani said more than 75,000 Syrian refugees now reside in Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Regional Government now sends humanitarian aid across the border to refugees in Syria. He added that while it is for the Syrian people to decide their future, the rights of Syrian Kurds must be respected.

President Barzani and Foreign Minister Lavrov also talked about economic cooperation, particularly the role of Russian energy companies in Kurdistan and Iraq.

[Aslan]

President Barzani meets President Putin in Moscow

Moscow, Russia (KRP.org) – Russian President Vladimir Putin received President Barzani in Moscow today for discussions on strengthening bilateral relations and to build on the historic friendship that exists between the people of Russia and the people of Kurdistan.

Today’s meeting focused on economic and cultural cooperation as well as on the role of Russian companies in the reconstruction process in both Kurdistan and Iraq.

Both sides reaffirmed that the historic friendship between the peoples of Russia and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq must be further strengthened. President Barzani said that the Kurdistan Region is committed to the Iraqi Constitution and, as part of Iraq, it strives to reach out to the outside world for mutual benefit and cooperation.

For his part, President Putin stated that he is aware of the struggle of the Kurdish people and of the struggle of Mulla Mustafa Barzani, President Masoud Barzani’s late father, who in the 1950s lived in exile in Moscow for several years.

President Barzani, together with a high-level Kurdistan Region delegation, arrived in Moscow on Tuesday on an official two-day visit, where he is also due to meet Foreign Minister Lavrov and other Russian government officials.

During his stay in Moscow, the President also visited the headquarters of the oil and gas company Gazprom and met with the Chairman of the Management Committee, Alexey Miller. The meeting focused on establishing a long-term partnership between Gazprom and the Kurdistan Regional Government that will include cooperation on energy and power. Both sides said that this cooperation will benefit all of Iraq.