Barzani and Erdoğan discuss latest developments in Kurdistan and bilateral relations with Turkey

Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani visited Turkey on Wednesday to have talks with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the latest developments in the region and bilateral relations.

Mr Barzani's visit to Ankara comes two weeks before the first national elections in Iraq since the United States left the country. Although Turkey conducts backstage diplomacy by having talks with Iraqi officials, it has chosen to stay mum on the upcoming elections.

Turkey’s Energy Minister, Taner Yıldız, said that energy was one of the main topics that will be discussed with Barzani.

Yıldız pointed to the ongoing energy talks between Iraq's central government and the autonomous Kurdish region in attempts to settle a dispute over oil exports from Kurdistan via a new independent pipeline to Turkey.

In a show of support for Erdoğan, Mr Barzani paid a visit to Diyarbakır, a predominantly Kurdish city in Turkey. During his meeting with Erdoğan, Barzani renewed his support for the settlement process, which was initiated by the AK Party in late 2012 to resolve the country's decades-old terrorism problem.

Erbil and Ankara have strengthened ties amid recent momentum in energy relations as well as other mutual regional interests.