Iraqi Kurdistan plans to strengthen its relationship with Iran, the prime minister of the semi-autonomous region said on Wednesday in an acknowledgement of the deepening ties between Arbil and Tehran.
Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said in a statement a new oil deal between Arbil and Baghdad would not impact the Kurdistan Regional Government's ties with Turkey, or its growing partnership with Iran, Reuters reported.
"We will continue to strengthen our relationship with our eastern neighbor Iran," Barzani said in a statement read at a Kurdish oil and gas conference in London. The statement was read by Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the former UK ambassador to the United Nations, after Barzani was unable to attend.
