Barzani Expresses Concerns over Future of Kurds in Syria

Kurdish influential leader and President of the ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, has expressed concerns over the future of Kurds in Syria.

Barzani received a Russian delegation on Monday led by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Erbil, where the former president of the Kurdistan Region also called on Russia to play a key role in normalizing the situation in Syria in any possible security deterioration in the future.

They also exchanged views on the historic ties between the Kurdistan Region and Russia, stressing on further strengthening the relations between the sides in various fields.

Lavrov expressed happiness to see progress in the peaceful dialogue between Erbil and Baghdad and the sides' relations, noting that such progress would lead to the country's economic growth.

Barzani, in return, welcomed the Russian top diplomat's visit to the region, considering the improved ties between Erbil and Baghdad as a "positive step" towards resolving the remaining disputes between the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.