Respectable Mr. Tayyip Erdogan, the elected president of the Turkish Republic

On behalf of the Kurdistan Parliament _ Iraq, we congratulate you on your election as the twelfth President of the Turkish Republic.

We hope that your election inspires the peace process in Turkey and strengthens relations between the Turkish Republic and  Kurdistan region.

        Yusif Mohammed Sadiq

President of the Parliament of Kurdistan _ Iraq

                  11/8/2014

Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq (KRG.org) – Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani congratulated current Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan upon the announcement of preliminary results indicating his victory in Turkey’s presidential elections. Prime Minister Barzani wished Prime Minister Erdogan, the Republic of Turkey, and its citizens continued success.

The Prime Minister expressed his hope that Turkey’s direct presidential elections will bring forth further development in Turkey, opening new policies and improvements in all fields. He also expressed his wish to see continued development and coordination, in various sectors, in the mutually beneficial relationship between Erbil and Ankara. Finally, Prime Minister Barzani reiterated his hope for a resolution of the Kurdish issue in Turkey and a successful conclusion to the peace process under the Erdogan presidency.

During the conversation, Prime Minister Erdogan thanked Prime Minister Barzani and reiterated his wish for further development and expansion in the relationship between Turkey and the Kurdistan Region.

Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq (KRP.org) – Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani met with Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu in Erbil on Wednesday.

The two sides discussed bilateral relations, Iraq’s political and security challenges, including the upcoming parliamentary elections in Iraq, and the Syrian conflict.

They both said that they are very pleased with the status of their relations and expressed their willingness to further strengthen political, economic and cultural ties. Foreign Minister Davutoglu described President Barzani’s visit to Diyarbakir in 2013 as very significant and historical.

On the planned upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections, President emphasized that these elections must be held on time.

Salahadin,Kurdistan Region of Iraq, (KRP.org)- Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani welcomed Turkey's new ambassador to Iraq, Mr. Farouq Qaemakchi at his office in Salahadin today. During the meeting the President and the Turkish Ambassador discussed bilateral relations and exchanged their views on the latest developments in Iraq.

Ambassador Qaemakchi stated his optimism on the situation and hoped for a brighter future for Iraq and continued brotherly relations between Turkey and the Kurdistan Region. The Ambassador made note of what he described as the "historic" visit to Diyarbakir by the President last November and said that that visit "broke a number of barriers."

President Barzani wished him success at his new post and hoped for a continuation of the good relations between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey.

On the dispute with Baghdad over energy exports, the President stated that the KRG energy policy is completely in line with the Iraqi constitution and that the KRG has the right to develop its energy sector.

He attributed the current political and security problems to the wrong policies of the rulers of Iraq. He also criticized the Iraqi government's decision to withhold the KRG share of the budget, including the salaries of KRG staff, saying that this amounts to a declaration of war on the people of the Kurdistan Region.

Salahadin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, (krp.org)- President Masoud Barzani received a Syrian National Council delegation at his office in Salahadin today. The delegation was headed by the President of SNC, Mr. George Sabra who expressed his appreciation for the Kurdistan Region's continuous support for the Syrian people, especially the official position of support for the people of Syria and the reception of hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in the Kurdistan Region.

Mr. Sabra went on to state that the purpose of their visit, aside from conveying the messages of gratitude from the people of Syria, is to discuss the latest developments in Syria.

President Barzani welcomed the delegation and reiterated his support for the SNC and the cause of the Syrian people. He urged the delegation to remain united with their other Syrian brothers for the sake of solidifying their message. President Barzani also stated that the Kurdistan Region will continue with its support of the Syrian refugees here in the Region.

On the role if Syrian Kurds, the President said that Kurds have been deprived of their basic rights in Syrian and that in the future their rights must be guaranteed.  

The President and the Syrian delegation also discussed the outcome of the Geneva II conference held last month.