President Barzani meets Russia's Foreign Minister Lavrov

Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani was hosted in the Russian Foreign Ministry by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov yesterday for discussions on bilateral relations and the situations in Iraq and Syria. The meeting between both sides emphasized the necessity to strengthen relations between Russia, the Kurdistan region, as well as Iraq. Foreign Minister Lavrov, resounded President Putin’s declarations that Russia wants to establish strong ties with the Kurdistan Region. Developments in Syria and the impact of its crisis on the Kurdistan Region and Iraq were discussed, with President Barzani stating more than 75,000 Syrian refugees now reside in Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Regional Government is sending humanitarian aid to refugees in Syria. Mr Barzani added the Syrian people should decide their future but the rights of Syrian Kurds must be respected. Mr Barzani and Foreign Minister Lavrov also talked about economic cooperation, particularly the role of Russian energy companies in Kurdistan and Iraq.